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11/01/2017 12:00 AMEmily Peterson epitomizes what it means to be a team player as a member of the Valley Regional field hockey squad. After earning All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors at forward last fall, Emily shifted positions to play defense for the greater good of her team this year. Emily is also a senior captain for the Warriors, who recently completed a solid regular season and are on their way back to the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments.
Valley advanced to the Shoreline Conference final last year, and the experience had a profound effect on Emily. She considers that journey the biggest accomplishment of her high school career thus far.
“Making Shoreline finals last year was huge,” says Emily. “We didn’t win, but it was a big moment for our team just to play there.”
After a young group of talented forwards made the Valley field hockey team this season, Emily and her coaches determined that she would be a bigger asset in the backfield. Emily wasn’t bothered by the fact that she wouldn’t be scoring as many goals. For Emily, individual achievements pale in comparison to the success of her club.
“I made Second Team All-Shoreline last year, but it didn’t matter to me as much as how the team did,” Emily says. “After making it all the way to the Shoreline final and losing, we thought for our defense to be better, I might have to move back.”
Emily’s selflessness sets a great example of a team-first attitude, and she believes that’s one of the most important characteristics for a captain. It means everything to Emily that she serves as strong role model who supports her teammates when they need it.
“I just try to be a role model for the girls. If they have anything they need, they can talk to me about it,” says Emily, who lives in Essex. “I hope anybody looks up to me and wants to be similar to how I am on the team.”
Valley’s Head Coach Beth Powers sees how Emily dedicates herself to the Warriors every day and knows that type of commitment has a positive effect on the rest of the team. Of course, Powers also appreciates the skill set that Emily displays on the field.
“Emily is a diligent and hard-working senior captain...The younger players look to her as an outstanding example of work ethic,” Powers says. “She’s certainly a huge part of our backfield and makes us a strong opponent. Her skills are superb, and her agility is a tremendous asset.”
Emily provides Valley with the same energy on defense that she had as a forward, and she’s still getting in the scoring column to the tune of her six goals this season. Emily excels at bringing the ball to a halt and then getting the momentum going back up the field.
“I do a pretty good job of stopping the ball,” says Emily. “If I dribble with the ball on my stick, that’s the best way to get the ball up the field to the forwards.”
Emily will occasionally switch to a more offensive position, and the key for knowing the right time to do that is making sure everyone is communicating effectively on the fly.
“Sometimes, I will switch with the player in front of me, and then I’m able to get up into the circle and attack, as well,” says Emily. “We’ll look at each other and say who’s going to go up or back. We have to make sure we stay talking. If we’re not talking, it means we’re not playing very well...You have to have each others back, and you’re always just ready to receive the ball and take it up the field.”
Emily thinks that one of the Warriors’ greatest assets is the diversity of their senior captains in terms of both position and personality. Emily says she can hardly fathom what it would be like without her fellow senior captains Ellen Flynn and Caitlin Smith, as the three of them have played together throughout all four years of high school.
“We’ve been together since my freshman year. I can’t imagine captaining with anyone else,” says Emily, who won the Warriors’ Most Improved Player Award in her freshman season. “We’re so different. We play different positions, and our personalities are different, too. We offer all different things to the girls.”
Emily plans on attending the University of Vermont after she graduates from Valley. For now, though, she’s focused on making every moment count as she finishes her time at the high school.
“I’m just going to go out there and give it my all,” says Emily. “I just have to go out there and leave everything on the field.”