Rutland Herald Fall Sports Guide
18
Friday, October 6, 2017
Fair Haven Field Hockey
2 Abby Brown
3 Zoey Cole
4 Hailey McLaughlin
6 Jillian Stuart
7 Adriana Dalto
9 Savanah Desrocher
11 Theresa Culpo
12 Alison Lanthier
13 Kerah Book
14 Leah Gannon
15 Mikayla Taylor
16 Elizabeth Haggerty
18 Olivia Fortin
20 Lydia Aust
21 Anna Breslen
22 Janelle Kitchin
23 Madison Belden
24 Emily Belden
39 Ruby Ianni
37 Olivia Lannon
99 Jordyn Howard
Coach Jen Clement
Otter Valley Field Hockey
0 Elinor Ross
4 Livia Bernhardt
5 Payton Traynor
6 Morgan LaPorte
7 Chelsea Reed
8 Jordan Laraway
12 Isabella Falco
15 Alia Edmunds
21 Sophie Markowski
23 Lucy Gilliam
24 Caitlin Waid
25 Jadynn Pope
30 Gabriella LaGrange
32 Elaina Harte
33 Emma Falquero
42 Kathryn Coolidge
Coach Stacey Edmunds
Field hockey: And then there were three
By TOM HALEY
STAFF WRITER
When Karen Poljacik played field
hockey at Rutland High the game was
the fall sport for girls. Even the small-
est schools in Rutland County like West
Rutland and Proctor had a field hockey
team.
Then, field hockey gave way to soc-
cer. And now there are only three field
hockey schools in Rutland County.
Poljacik went to Johnson State, where
she played field hockey as a freshman
only to have the college drop the sport
after that year. She must have been won-
dering if the sport was on its way out the
door.
Years later, she is in her second season
as the head coach of a flourishing field
hockey program at Rutland High and the
numbers are on the rise.
Rutland, Fair Haven and Otter Val-
ley have played the game with varying
degrees of success. Otter Valley has had
the most with six state championships,
one as recently as 2015. The Otters have
been to the state title game 14 times.
Rutland has won a couple state crowns,
but there has been a drought. The Raid-
ers last wore the crown in 1995.
Fair Haven never won a state title and
has only been to the state championship
game once (in 2007).
Fair Haven and Otter Valley must
break in new goalies this year but Rut-
land has a seasoned goalkeeper back.
The sport has stabilized and the num-
bers are at least sufficient at the three
programs. Another encouraging sign is
that field hockey is returning as a varsity
sport at Windsor this year after a hiatus.
“I heard Windsor had a strong middle
school team. I think they have talent to
work with there,” said Fair Haven coach
Jen Clement, whose Slaters open the sea-
son with Windsor at home Sept. 7.
It is a big year for Otter Valley coach
Stacey Edmunds. She was a key member
of the 1986 Otter Valley state champion-
ship team and will be inducted into the
Otter Valley Hall of Fame on Sept. 23.
Here is a look at the Rutland County
field hockey teams:
FAIR HAVEN
The new goalie is sophomore Jordyn
Howard. She has put in some work at
clinics and camps this summer and Clem-
ent is hoping she grows into the game,
giving the Slaters a solid goalie over the
next three seasons.
Senior leadership will come from mid-
felder Adriana Dalto, forward Olivia For-
tin, midfielder Leah Gannon and Kerah
Book, who will play both up front and in
the midfield.
Clement will turn to Dalto for goals
and hopes that others can step up and
complement her scoring.
“Adriana can score. I’d like to find a
few more,” Clement said. “Adriana con-
trols the midfield nicely.”
Joining the four seniors and Howard
on the roster are Ruby Ianni, Elizabeth
Hagerty, Jillian Stuart, Lydia Aust, Olivia
Lannon, Theresa Culpo, Anna Breslen,
Savanah Desrocher, Emily Belden, Madi-
son Belden, Abby Brown and Zoey Cole,