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11/21/2017 11:00 PMThe Hand field hockey team claimed SCC and Class M state crowns the year before Sophie Schreck joined the varsity squad. Ever since then, Sophie has been determined to add to Hand’s championship résumé, and she’s made good on that promise by producing plenty of points this year, including a score during one of the biggest moments of the season.
Sophie, a senior captain left midfielder, first stepped foot into field hockey by participating in a clinic in 5th grade, after which she started playing competitively at Polson Middle School squad when she was in 7th grade. Sophie earned her spot on the Tigers’ varsity roster as a sophomore in 2015, and she’s been helping the team chase its championship dreams throughout the three subsequent seasons. Sophie’s contributions to the cause have been immense as she’s notched seven goals with 17 assists for 31 points this year on her way to securing All-SCC First Team and All-State First Team accolades.
Just as important, Sophie has shown a knack for coming through in the clutch, as evidenced by her netting the penalty stroke that clinched the conference title when Hand beat Branford in the SCC Tournament final. After that, Hand won the Class M State Tournament for the first time since that championship campaign of 2014.
“The championship is all I’ve been hoping for since freshman year,” says Sophie, who has committed to play field hockey at Division II Stonehill College in Massachusetts. “Scoring that stroke meant the world to me, and I was just focused on staying calm. The game was crazy with three overtimes before the penalty strokes, but I felt comfortable, because we practice them and I trusted [goalkeeper Kylie Gargiulo].”
Sophie says that Hand had Class M title aspirations going way back to the infancy stages of the campaign in the dog days of late summer.
“It honestly means everything to me to win states. It was my last time playing field hockey for the Hand program, and to lead my team to an outstanding season was incredible,” says Sophie. “Everyone worked so hard for this. Even during the preseason, we were all looking forward to winning states.”
Sophie feels that much of the Tigers’ success this year stemmed from how effectively they communicate with one another on the turf. Of course, it never hurts to have a roster full of talented players who feed off each other’s intensity.
“We have team chemistry, and everyone looks out for each other. The communication on the field has helped us win,” Sophie says. “We have well-rounded players with a lot of experience. We have good stick-to-stick passes and have energy that bounces off of each other.”
Sophie says it look a little time for her to sharpen her field hockey skills. However, with a little patience and a lot of dedication, she not only strengthened her physical abilities as a player, but also her field hockey IQ when it comes to making sound decisions with the ball.
“My freshman year, I tried to dribble, but I had no stick skills. [Hand Head Coach Sue Leckey] worked with me and helped me improve my play,” says Sophie. “She expects me to be one of the smarter players out there, and I feel I’ve gotten smarter as a player and am thinking one step ahead.”
Of course, there are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a captain. However, holding that role hasn’t provided too much stress for Sophie, because she knows she’s surrounded by a supporting cast of athletes who bring nothing but heart and hustle on an every day basis.
“Being captain is everything I had hope for. I looked up to the captains before me, and I wanted nothing more than to be captain,” says Sophie. “The girls are great. They have energy and want to win, which makes it easier for me as captain.”
Coach Leckey praises Sophie for the passion she displays for both her school and the game and adds that she’s constantly pushing herself toward higher plateaus.
“Sophie is a hard-working and devoted teammate, unafraid to challenge herself and our team to be better every day. Sophie cares deeply about the team and the traditions of Hand field hockey,” says Leckey. “Sophie is one of a kind. She tries hard to spread the competitive field hockey spirit and her love of the game as much as she can.”
Before moving on to Stonehill to continue her field hockey career, Sophie still has one more season to look forward to at Hand as she’s also a member of the Tigers’ softball squad. Sophie says that her time on the diamond has played a pivotal role in her field hockey prominence.
“Softball helps me with my drive on shots. My hit wouldn’t be as hard as it is now without softball,” says Sophie, who thanks her parents, Denise Levesque and Peter Schreck, along with Coach Leckey, and her former teammate Hannah Leckey. “Bunting has helped with my tips in field hockey. We run a couple miles for each game in field hockey, and the conditioning is different, but the two sports help each other in different ways.