Win or go home. The Lady Indians field hockey team was presented with that very predicament this week and prevailed. They had to score more goals than Dover and against a first-team All-Conference goalie no less. Logan Dickerson is a tough goalie, but it was Indian River that prevailed when all the chips were on the table, earning them the No. 16 seed.
“This has been our best hockey all year,” said Head Coach Pativa McKean, “We executed out corners and passes perfectly.”
Shawnee Seitz and Sara Benner converted scoring opportunities to get Indian River on the board in the first half. Benner earned the first of two assists on Seitz’s goal before scoring herself — giving the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead.
But their early lead evaporated as quickly as is came and Dover scored on two breakaways to tie the score.
Determined not to let the game slip away, McKean reassured her players at halftime that it was still anybody’s game.
“Going into halftime we just looked at it like it was 0-0 and had nothing to lose,” said McKean.
Back-and-forth play in the second half finally yielded a potential game-winning goal by Jordan Warrington on a Benner assist. Jenna McCone and Kayla Warrington both converted on corners to extend Indian River’s lead to 5-2.
McKean was not only happy that her team won but that all the players played well.
“All the goals in the second half were sick,” said McKean. “Some other people scored and that’s nice to see. It’s a nice change-up.”
The Indians’ state-tournament-clinching win earned them a first-round face-off with perennial powerhouse Tower Hill, but McKean said she is confident that her team can match up with anyone.
“We lost to Caesar Rodney, 3-1, but we beat them in the second half,” said McKean. “Tower Hill is a similar team and I know that if we had another chance to play Caesar Rodney, we’d beat them. And Tower Hill is no different.”
McKean noted that her team has adopted an all-or-nothing attitude despite playoff prognosticators’ predictions.
Our team is going in fearless with everything to prove. We haven’t even peaked yet but if we play like a well-oiled machine then we can beat the No. 1 seed,” said McKean.
The Lady Indians will have their hands full. Tower Hill likes to run and plays “flawless hockey against solid competition,” according to McKean.
Negating their speed and explosiveness will be their Achilles heel, as it has been throughout the season. But McKean is certain that they can maintain their defensive formation, leaving no gaps to score.
“We haven’t done well against that this season,” said McKean. “When they figure out our gap, they score. We can dominate 95 percent of the game. But if we let them out for two or three fast breaks then they’re scoring.”
The Lady Indians traveled to Tower Hill on Nov. 9 for a 2:30 p.m. game. The Coastal Point deadline came prior to the game’s finish.