By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Shannon Dargan is making the most of her first chance to start for the Hun School field hockey team.
The senior goalie made 14 saves to help the Raiders improve to 5-1-1 with a 3-2 win over Stuart Country Day on Tuesday.
“There was more pressure toward the end because it was getting so close and they must have been so goal hungry,” Dargan said. “There was some pressure early, but not as much as the second half.”
Dargan is in a bigger role this year. She has been the back-up to Reina Karn, now playing as a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Reina was so key in helping me become the goalie I’ve become,” Dargan said. “I respect her. Since I only started playing sophomore year, I didn’t feel entitled. It’s a great opportunity to have now. I’m enjoying it my senior year.”
Dargan only started playing because many of her Hun softball teammates were already playing field hockey. She gave goalie a shot, and is thrilled to be playing so much for a strong team.
“I love it,” said the Chesterfield resident. “I was a little nervous going in. Reina was such a good goalie and I had big shoes to fill. Being on the team, I know they have my back and I have theirs. Everything has been going well. Our team chemistry is so good. We get along so well.”
Dargan is one of 11 seniors that has helped engineer the promising start. They are still settling into their new roles, but have done so while enjoying success.
“We don’t have any superstars,” said Hun head coach Kathy Quirk. “We just have a group of girls that are working hard together. They’re really a lot of fun to coach. They support each other. They give each other a lot of confidence. They just work hard together.”
The Raiders got single goals from Julie Fassl, Kristina Sickmueller and Julia Revock and an assist from Sophia Albanese to knock off Stuart. They’ve lost just once this year as they prepare for a tough match with Princeton High on Monday.
“I don’t think we’re surprised,” Dargan said. “It’s been awesome. I think this year we’re doing a good job of working together as a team.
“I would say it came together pretty quickly and early in the season,” she added. “I know at least half our team is new or playing different positions. We have really good team chemistry so that helps a lot.”
Stuart’s Tori Hannah had two assists and Rachael Asir and Samantha Johnson each had goals. Alexxa Newman made nine saves.
“We were there with them in terms of shots on goal,” said Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik. “I thought we played a stronger second half. We didn’t capitalize in the first, which is too bad. Their goalie had a nice game. Our goalie did too.”
The Tartans are finding their rhythm, and they are seeing signs of development. They only have three seniors and a good mix of talent. They can build on the two-goal burst in the second half that pressured Hun.
“I really don’t think our record reflects the growth and progress we’ve made,” said Bruvik, whose team has won once and tied once in nine games. “We’ve played a lot of good schools, Hun being one of them. As a team, we’re gelling. We struggled to put the ball in the net in the first couple games. Now we’re seeing the flip side of that. We gave up three, but we scored two. If we continue on that path, and score a few more and play better defense, hopefully we can move on in some of the tournaments.”
Stuart proved to be another test for the Raiders as they rallied late, but Hun held them off under pressure. Dargan’s play in goal helped as she was solid once Stuart came close.
“You kind of handle it the way you handle any tough situation,” Dargan said. “You focus. Since field hockey is such a team sport, you know as goalie you’re the last person before it gets in the goal. Your teammates are doing everything they can to get it up and score. You have to give it your all with being explosive and moving across the cage, and doing everything you can to keep it out.”
Hun isn’t getting too excited about its fast start. It is still looking for better play. Even after the win over Stuart, the Raiders were talking about getting better.
“We won, which was awesome, but I think we were capable of winning by more,” Dargan said. “Even then, I think we did a pretty good job of moving the ball.”
The Raiders are learning while they’re winning. They haven’t finalized their look yet, but they have kept winning with a lot of new faces in the lineup.
“They’ve all been with the program,” Quirk said. “I have a lot of girls that don’t have a lot of varsity experience. I have six girls in different positions. I’m just trying to find the right combination. We had 52 girls out for the program. We have a third team this year.”
It’s the first time that the program has been healthy enough to field three teams. With so much depth in the program, the Raiders have plenty of talent to piece together.
“We’ve still been playing around with kids,” Quirk said. “I took Katie Consoli out of the middle of the field and put her back at sweeper. Maura Kelly moved back from center mid to center back. Charlotte Stout and Sophia Albanese have been very solid for us in the backfield. Kristina Sickmueller is from South Africa, and we moved her up to mid. She scored the first goal for us.”
The offensive end is coming along as well. The Raiders have a good balance of scoring threats and playmakers.
“Julie Fassl had a hat trick on Saturday,” Quirk said. “She does a great job of moving the ball down the field. Revock was out, but she’s back. I had Fassl in the center, but now I have her on the side. It’s where she belongs. She’s carrying the ball down the field for us. Kate Davis and Gabrielle Cifelli are also on the outside.”
The Raiders are happy with their start, but not satisfied yet. They are starting to believe that they can be a strong county and state contender.
“I think we’re confident,” Dargan said. “We know we’re capable of doing great things. We’re not getting overly confident. We’re staying humble. When you get overconfident, that’s when you make mistakes. When you do that, or look at a team’s record and think we’re going to beat them, that’s when you mess up.”
Princeton High will be a big challenge, and beyond that Hun will open up play against the Mid-Atlantic Prep League teams.
“Obviously we’re going to be nervous about those challenges, but also excited to get to it,” Dargan said. “We want to see what’s going to happen for the season.”
