Field Hockey
By: Mike Molaro
It didn’t take long for the Lawrence High School field hockey squad to make itself noticed among the Colonial Valley Conference powers.
With senior left wing Katelee Zapolski scoring back-to-back hat tricks and senior goalie Kristen DeFiccio turning in back-to-back shutouts, the Cardinals (3-1) blanked Steinert, 3-0, at home last Saturday, and Hamilton, 6-0, on the road on Monday.
Last Friday’s home against Hun was postponed due to no officials and Tuesday’s game at Princeton was postponed due to rain.
Junior inner Kelly Immordino, senior center-midfielder Kelly Mangini, and junior right wing Kathy Kotowski each added an assist against the Spartans as DeFiccio recorded four saves for the shutout. Lawrence led 2-0 at halftime.
"The girls played very aggressively," said Cardinal head coach Shannon Marucca. "Everyone contributed to the win. Steinert is an excellent team but we continually beat them to the ball. We picked it up midway through the first half and played a strong second half.
"(Junior back) Diane Van Arsdale played an outstanding game. She continues to hustle and give 100 percent every game. Katelee (Zapolski) also had an excellent game. She plays her position well. (Senior right midfielder) Jessica Harrell kept feeding our offensive line and she hustles on every play.
"We continually stress to the girls that they have to move to every ball. The team that gets to the free balls will usually win the game. The girls continue to be aggressive both offensively and defensively. We continue to hold teams off. We spend a lot of time practicing marking and clearing. We concentrate a great deal on defense. The girls have played well and they continue to communicate well."
Immordino had a goal and an assist against the Hornets, senior inner Kim Mangini and Van Arsdale also scored a goal while Kotowski added a pair of assists and senior midfielder Amy Calvo and Kelly Mangini each had an assist. DeFiccio had four saves for the Cardinals, who scored three goals in each half.
"We were passing very well," Marucca added. "Hamilton has a fast field and we were working both sides of the field well. We played very strong in the offensive end.
"Kathy (Kotowski) has a strong game. Her stick work continues to improve. Kim (Mangini) hustled the entire game and set up a lot of scoring opportunities for us.
"I’ve never had this many good players on one squad in my eight years of coaching at Lawrence. We have a lot of skill on this team. The girls know what to do and they go out and do it. It sounds simple but the girls take a lot of pride in their game. They work hard and they play smart."