Friday , October 6 , 2017 Rutland Herald Fall Sports Guide 19
“ I ’ m optimistic ,” Clement said .
Much of the optimism stems from the way her team progressed in the Play Day on the turf at Burr and Burton Academy against Bellows Falls and Woodstock . “ They were tentative at first but got more aggressive as t went on . You could see the confidence start to build ,” lement said . “ I would like to find a backup goalie . It ’ s lways good to have a backup .” The Slaters have kept the program together despite the ack of a feeder program . One development could help . lement has taught Family Consumer Science for 25 years n the lower grades . Now , she has moved up to the high chool to teach the subject . She figures by being in the building that she can get ome enthusiasm going for the sport and maybe get a few ore players out for the team .
OTTER VALLEY The Otters have had larger turnouts for the sport . But hey have had smaller turnouts , too . Otter Valley had only three players on the bench in 2015 and things turned out just fine . The Otters won the Division II state championship that year , blanking Mount Abraham 1-0 in the title game .
“ We are still a small team ,” Edmunds of this year ’ s 16-player team . “ But we have grown accustomed to having a small team .” The Otters will be starting over in goal with last year ’ s ackup sophomore Ellie Ross taking the reins . “ It will be exciting to watch her develop ,” Edmunds said . Katie Coolidge and Kelsey Reed are the returning eniors . Coolidge will see action at midfield and forward nd Reed as a forward . Gabby LaGrange returns to the defense where she tarted last year and Sophie Markowski is back after starting at midfield .
The team gets a lift from the return of sophomore Alia Edmunds , who will be on the front line and at midfield . She has not played field hockey in two years because of win ACL injuries 10 months apart . Livia Bernhardt can play anywhere on the field . She layed forward , midfield and defense last season and it ooks like more of the same this time around . “ She is very versatile ,” coach Edmunds said , but that is n adjective she also uses about the team . There are plenty f interchangeable parts . Sophomore Isabella Falco will be playing on the front ine and at midfield . Jordan Laraway is a returning defender and midfield player . Morgan LaPorte will be on the front line , likely as a wing . Payton Traynor is a sophomore on defense . Caitlin Wade is a surprise addition after moving into the district as a sophomore . Eliana Harte has shown promise at midfield and on defense .
There are also several freshmen including Lucy Dillan , a Mill River student . The North Clarendon school does not have field hockey so she is playing on the member-tomember program .
Jadynn Pope is a freshman midfielder and forward who Edmunds calls “ one to watch .” Another freshman on the front line is Emma Falquero .
The Otters have Windsor to kick off the season on Sept . 1 . Without playing at the varsity level in a couple of years ,
they are a mystery team . “ I don ’ t know what they ’ ll look like ,” Edmunds said . That isn ’ t the only twist to the schedule . The Otters have not played St . Johnsbury and Springfield in recent years but both are on the slate this season .
They will no longer be playing Bellows Falls in the regular season even though the Terriers have moved up to Division II .
RUTLAND
A lot of coaches like to build their team from the back . If that ’ s the case with Poljacik , she is in great shape . Emily Lanzillo , a seasoned senior , returns to the goal .
There is also lots experience in front of Lanzillo because Kelsey Barker and Kacey Thompson are back as fullbacks .
Sparkplug Ashley Cassarino is back at midfield as a senior . Poljacik calls Emme Fairbanks her utility player .
“ She played midfield and defense and I think she might have played some up on the line for me ,” Poljacik said .
Two seniors returning as starters on the front line are Sophie Tanen and Leah Chase-Bigelow .
Junior midfielder Francie Ettori has been on varsity since her freshman year and can control the midfield as
Rutland Field Hockey 2 Lilly Krupp 3 Emme Fairbanks 5 Leah Chase-Bigelow 6 Francie Ettori 7 Taylor Krupp 8 Alyssa Farrell 9 Abigail Slenker 10 Alexa McPhee
11 Katie Sunderland 12 Ella Beraldi 13 Natalie Mitiguy 14 Sophie Tanen 15 Haley Lassen 16 Stephanie Allen 17 Lea Zmurko 18 Kacey Thompson 21 Audrey Comes-Altland
well as score . “ She is all over the place . She is very aggressive ,” Poljacik said .
Junior Ella Beraldi is a returning starter on the front line .
“ She is incredibly aggressive ,” Poljacik said . “ She has a lot of speed .”
Abby Slenker was not a starter but contributed key minutes as a midfielder and might see more this season . Natalie Mitiguy is another who might see her minutes increased as a midfield player .
The Raiders open at Burr and Burton Academy on Sept . 7 . They them come home to play Brattleboro and Otter Valley . Poljacik called Otter Valley “ a huge rivalry for us .” The Rutland program ’ s numbers are extremely healthy with 41 answering the call when the bell rang on Aug . 17 .
She tinkered with the 4-3-3 alignment last year and liked it so well the Raiders will likely be in that formation much of the time this year . You might also see the Raiders using a fifth attacker from time to time .
A complete version of article was originally published at the start of the fall season .
22 Kelsey Barker 23 Zoe Zmurko 24 Ashley Cassarino 99 Emily Lanzillo
Coach Karen Poljacik Assistant Coach Kayla Ploof