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Lady Indians bounce back from loss
By John Denny
Staff Reporter
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Coastal Point • JOHN DENNY
Molly Chamberlin, left, assists Kayla Warrington in the game against Woodbridge on Nov. 1.
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In a dash toward the finish line, the Lady Indians field hockey team lost a pivotal 6-3 game to Southern Division rival Seaford on Oct. 27 but rebounded to win their next two. That extended their record to 9-5-1 going into their season finale against Dover on Nov. 3 — a game that could determine their state tournament hopes.
Seaford and Indian River were tied for second in the conference and the loss puts the Lady Indians in a precarious situation — beat Dover or stay home.
“Dover’s a tough team and a great rivalry. They’re a physical team, like Seaford, but if we beat Dover then we might slip in at the 16th seed and play Caesar Rodney,” said Head Coach Pativa McKean. “We needed to beat Seaford.”
McKean’s Lady Indians jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead against Smyrna last week. But as the game went on, their lead began to slip before they could secure the 2-1 victory.
“We scored in the first 43 seconds, and they had 10 straight corners and didn’t score,” said McKean.
Indian River would hold a 1-0 lead heading into halftime, but Smyrna would tie it up in the final eight minutes. Sara Benner scored the game winning goal on an Ali Ambrose assist.
The Indians got on track offensively against Woodbridge on Nov. 1, winning 4-1. They were able to get out and run and control the ball against Woodbridge for the win.
Molly Chamberlin and Ambrose controlled the center, pushed the ball up the field and doled out a majority of their team’s offense.
Chamberlin started the Lady Indians off on the right foot by dishing to a wide-open Kayla Warrington, who was waiting on the left wing for an easy slap shot. Ambrose earned two assists — one in each half to Whitney McMillan and to Benner. Ambrose notched the fourth goal on a rebound of her own shot. Jordan Warrington fed Ambrose the pass and her persistence paid off.
Woodbridge never really threatened Indian River offensively. Goalie Kathryn Riley kept her box clear, blocking all four shots on goal. Abby Buchler replaced Riley midway through the second half and nearly preserved the shutout victory. But Woodbridge got on the board with only 31 seconds remaining, on a Nikki Zerdes goal.
Though the Lady Indians increased their goal production and won two of their last three games, McKean said she is glad to have practice time going into the Dover game. Indian River was scheduled to play St. Thomas More on Nov. 2 but the game was deemed unnecessary because they already have enough games to qualify for the state tournament.
Indian River played three of their last four games on the road and a little practice couldn’t hurt going into the Dover game.
“Thank God we have an extra day to prepare for Dover,” said McKean. We have to go back to the basics.”
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