The Times Argus Fall Sports Guide 2018
Gerrish: Field Hockey
Player of the Year
By KRISTOPHER MARTIN
C
entral Vermont fi eld hockey
teams had a bit of a down year
this past season, but there was
plenty of upside to Amanda Gerrish’s
game.
The Spaulding midfi elder stood out
among local players, showcasing the
combination of offensive creativity
and defensive hustle to earn Times
Argus Player of the Year honors.
“I know that she didn’t score many
goals and only had maybe three or
four assists, but her effort in the
middle of the fi eld contributed greatly
to our success this year,” Spaulding
coach Tabitha Lord said.
Field hockey is an incredibly
cyclical sport, and this year represent-
ed that. Perennial Division II power
U-32 played the regular season in
the Metro Division and had diffi culty
keeping pace with some of the larger
schools fro Chittenden County. Har-
wood was rebuilding with big crews
of sophomores and freshmen, but the
future is bright for the Highlanders.
And one year after earning a D-II title
berth and suffering just two losses,
the Crimson Tide remained compet-
itive even though they fell short of
their lofty goals.
But even though Spaulding went
5-8, the Tide beat Harwood and U-32
to claim local bragging rights. Fol-
lowing a season-opening 5-2 win over
U-32, Gerrish and her teammates
orchestrated two shutouts victories
over Harwood.
Gerrish was tasked with being a
two-way player, typically directing
both the offense and defense. Field
hockey midfi elders don’t often have
eye-popping stats for goals and
assists, but when it comes to playing
a team game their role is every bit as
important.
“Amanda is incredibly coachable
and showed great effort this year,”
Lord said.
Lord admitted that singling out one
player for top honors was particularly
diffi cult given the level of balance
throughout her team. And the Capital
Division as a whole also featured a
lot of parity, with Spaulding suffering
fi ve one-goal losses. The Tide experi-
enced some tough luck in the scoring
department, often falling short despite
outshooting opponents and holding
big advantages on penalty corners.
Early in the season Spaulding
threatened to snap Missisquoi’s fi ve-
game unbeaten streak in a 1-0 defeat.
The Tide suffered two 1-0 losses to
D-III fi nalist Stowe and lost to D-III
champ St. Johnsbury, 2-1. The season
included a handful of close setbacks,
but Gerrish made sure to stay upbeat
while keeping a focus on team-build-
ing and sportsmanship.
“We weren’t really able to depend
on just one or two people to score this
year, but I think overall we had an
incredibly positive season,” Gerrish
said. “My role was to keep the ball
in the circle on corners and give my
teammates more opportunities to
score. I think offensively we were a
bit weaker than last year, but no one
ever got down on themselves or their
teammates.”
Gerrish credited Lord for supplying
a solid presence as the coach. As a
player, it’s always nice to see stability
at the top.
And according to Gerrish, the
security of having a good coach —
particularly for those student-athletes
who have played their entire high
school career for the same coach — is
comforting from both a personal and
developmental standpoint.
TO PAGE 14
CONGRATULATIONS! To All
High School Sports Teams!
Fall Sports!
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