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Rams Hungry for a Winning Season in 2020

The Old Saybrook field hockey team is a squad on the rise in the Shoreline Conference. Last year, the Rams finished with a record of 8-9-1, while qualifying for the both Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament. The 2020 campaign presents a whole new set of challenges due to COVID-19, but Old Saybrook’s players are grateful to have a chance to compete, albeit in a shortened season.

It feels like a victory for Old Saybrook to even have a season at all this year. Head Coach Nancy Gatta knows that her team has both the talent and the drive to rack up its share of victories. Gatta said that senior captain forwards Taylor Stone and Kayla Holt have been consummate leaders for the Rams thus far.

“They’ve been really great. They did a lot this summer in keeping everyone in the loop. They were my voice with training and conditioning,” said Gatta, whose team is playing at Westbrook for its season opener at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. “With the limited time at practices, they are definitely helping me with organization and communicating to both the younger and older players. They are taking the lead on that. They’ve had good examples with the captains of the past. They are leading by the example of the people who graduated ahead of them.”

While Stone and Holt’s ability to lead speaks volumes, their skills on the attack are just as impressive. Holt earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors last year, and Stone has the determination needed to continue improving in her senior season.

“Kayla’s going to be a four-year varsity starter, and she was phenomenal last year on the left wing. She’s fast, skilled, and determined. She’s motivated this season to be at the top of the Shoreline this year. You can see it in her eyes at practice,” Coach Gatta said. “Taylor and Kayla are connected at the hip. [Stone is] the fastest on the team and might have the most drive. She really wants to win a lot of games this year, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taylor without a smile on her face. She’s always the last to leave and first to get there.”

As is the case with many athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Saybrook has seen some of its players opt out of the 2020 season due to health concerns for their families. However, even with smaller numbers, Coach Gatta feels that the Rams have a good mix of experienced players on their roster.

“I lost four seniors, and I have three returning juniors that were starting last year. We have a good group of incoming freshmen, but we only have 21 players,” said Gatta. “That’s definitely part of the pandemic. Some who aren’t playing have family members who are susceptible to the disease.”

Old Saybrook’s two other seniors are defender Kate Heiden and forward/midfielder Kristina Alsante. With the team’s numbers on defense down, Coach Gatta knows that it will be helpful to have a vocal senior like Heiden around to make sure that the less-experienced defenders are in the right position. Gatta added that Alsante keeps getting better with every second that she’s on the field.

“Kate will be the voice of the defense this year. She’s solid back there, and it’s good to have her coming back,” Gatta said. “Kristina most likely play in the midfield. She’s definitely improved over the years on varsity. She’ll help in the midfield keeping the momentum moving up the field.”

The returning varsity starters in Old Saybrook’s junior class are forward Grace Adams, midfielder Alexa Coty, and midfielder/defender Libby Stuart. Coach Gatta expects that group to take another step forward in its development to provide plenty of solid play for Old Saybrook.

“Libby was the surprise of the year. I just started her on defense, and she got to every play. She’s fast and skilled. She’s a smart player and sees the field well. She’s very game smart. She’s going to be the anchor for the team in the midfield,” said Gatta. “Grace was on the right side last year. She’s got legs that can run all day and fast. Alexa is our link in the middle of the field to support Kayla and Taylor. She’ll be behind them to help move the ball forward, and she’s really good at getting back on defense, too.”

Other juniors who are expected to get varsity time this year include forward/midfielder Chelsea Heinke and midfielder MacKenna Cooke. Cooke recently moved to Old Saybrook from Suffield. Coach Gatta saw good things from Suffield when the Rams matched up against the Wildcats last season.

“MacKenna will be a major player this year for us,” Gatta said. “We played Suffield for the first time last year, and they were a really good, strong team and well-coached. So, I’m happy to have MacKenna. She will be in the midfield/forward position.”

The Rams will also be relying on some sophomores to play meaningful minutes, including players like defender Shelby Dorothy and goalkeeper Kate Molesky. Dorothy has shown a big leap in her skillset at Old Saybrook’s limited practices, while Molesky learned a lot from last year’s goalie, Wendy Bowden.

“Kate worked a lot with Wendy and, during the last three weeks, we’ve worked a lot with her, too. We’re working to get her used to the speed of a varsity game, and she’s definitely getting up to speed,” Gatta said. “Shelby’s worked really hard, I can tell, especially these last three weeks. So, I’m giving her the reins in a varsity game. I’m really excited about her. She’ll probably be the sweeper.”

Coach Gatta knows that this season is going to look a lot different than any that we’ve seen before, but she’s also taking comfort in seeing the familiar sights of a new campaign. It was difficult for everyone when the spring season was canceled. Consequently, Coach Gatta feels happy that the Rams will get to play in 2020.

“We’re playing each team in the conference twice, two games per week. Then we’ll try to have a Shoreline Tournament where all six teams play, and the first two seeds have a bye. We’re hoping, fingers crossed,” said Gatta. “I just want to see my girls in their uniforms. I want to see them take a team picture. I want to see them on the field and have something in their senior year. They lost so much this spring.”