MHS field hockey is upset-minded

Veitch thrilled to move on in SCT

By: Justin Feil
   Catherine Veitch is looking forward to Montgomery High School’s Somerset County Tournament field hockey game Saturday.
   It is both a giant challenge and great opportunity for the MHS senior. The ninth-seeded Cougars will take on top-seeded Pingry. It is the first time that anyone on the current MHS team has advanced to the SCT quarterfinals, and they did so with an upset of No. 8 Watchung Hills, 1-0, last Saturday.
   "We’ve never won a county game," Veitch said. "This is our second game of the county tournament."
   MHS would have to go back to 2002, its first year as a varsity program, to find the last time they ever won any SCT game. In 2002, they beat Bernards in a shootout to advance to the second round before their run ended. Beating Watchung Hills was a big deal in itself, regardless of the setting.
   "We haven’t beat them in the past two or three years," said MHS head coach Tiffany Trockenbrod, whose team was 4-8 entering Thursday’s game against Phillipsburg. "It was a huge step for us. Now we have to face Pingry. I think the girls, they know that Pingry is going to be tough. They’ve also found this new confidence in them. They’re learning to play together. I think they’re up for the challenge."
   It’s a challenge that is one of the last in the scholastic careers of the eight seniors on the MHS team. The finality of the season is something that Veitch does not want to face.
   "It’s sad to think about," Veitch said. "Our eight seniors have all been here for four years. I haven’t tried to think about it. I’m going game by game.
   "I’m just pumped that we made it. I knew we could beat Watchung. We always had that chance. We just brought it out. I feel like we can put up a really good fight Saturday."
   The Cougars know they are the underdog, but they hope to use that to their advantage. MHS has continued to battle regardless of the odds this season. When they lost Anu Rimal to injury, the Cougars were down, but they have learned to go on behind the play of Veitch and Kelly Lott in the back. They have helped make up for the loss of Rimal, who played center midfield.
   "When we lost her," Trockenbrod said, "the team started deflating like a tire. But they found out we’re still good and can compete. We think she’ll be back by the end of the season."
   In the meantime, MHS has relied on an experienced back line of defenders. Only Veitch was new as she moved back from center mid to play center back.
   "She’s really good at intercepting the ball," Trockenbrod said. "She reads the plays well. When she does that, it’s a huge spark to the team."
   Added Veitch: "Our defensive end is really strong. I think we have one of the strongest defenses we’ve had in a while with Kelly Lott, Lisa Welsh and Lee Ellen. The four of us, sometimes we feel like a wall. When we work together, it turns out really well.
   "I’ve learned how to depend on other people for defense. I used to be able to get away with playing middle of the field and letting little things slide. It’s a little more pressure, but I like it."
   With the Cougars’ best chances for an upset Saturday resting on keeping the game low-scoring, the defense knows it has an important task. But the Cougars need to do it from the start to finish. There can be no letdown during the game.
   "Our warm-up sets the tone," Veitch said. "If we get in that game mode, it’ll pump us up. The stronger we start, the stronger we finish. We’re starting to realize that if we come out strong, we’ll play stronger."
   Working together remains the biggest key for the Cougars, according to both Trockenbrod and Veitch. MHS has the experience and the motivation to pull off a big win.
   "It would gain a lot of respect in the field hockey community if we pulled off a win," Trockenbrod said. "They’re learning how to work together more. And for some of them, they may not play again. This may be the last time they play field hockey."
   Through the ups and downs this season, the Cougars have remained close with each other. There has not been a lot of finger-pointing in times of struggle and they’ve shared their moments of triumph. They enjoyed their first county win Saturday and are hoping to duplicate the effort for another one this week.
   "We all stayed together as a team," Veitch said. "That was one of the games where we all shone as a team. A lot of games, we play individually. That game, we played as a unit.
   "We all have such fight. We all have to fight together. We have to stick together more. We have nothing to lose. We’re obviously the underdog. We have a lot of fight. I don’t think they’ll know what to expect."