Coach Webb's winning hand
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SOUTH HADLEY
Sherry Webb usually has a pretty good poker face regarding her Smith Academy field hockey team each year.
The 36th-year coach hides her true beliefs about her team's potential all through the preseason, regular season and deep into the tournament.
Not this year.
Since day one, there's been an extra twinkle in her eye when she refers to her Falcons. She has seemed more optimistic - which is quite a bit - and has exuded more confidence than usual.
That was because of the "six seniors who are outstanding leaders and field hockey players," Webb admitted after Saturday's 4-1 win over South Hadley in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Tournament title game at Mount Holyoke College.
They are "great students and they recognize that we don't abide wasted potential," she added. "And they had a tremendous amount of potential that they needed to cash in on. And they did. So far, so good."
Webb certainly knows her stuff, as her team was exceptional from start to finish, opening the season with 14 straight wins before illness led to a 2-2 record in the Falcons' final four regular-season games.
Still, the team outscored its opponents 94-17 heading into the postseason and then rolled through the first two rounds with no adversity in a 6-0 quarterfinal win over Pioneer Regional and an 8-2 thrashing of Athol in the semifinals.
Finally, South Hadley proved to be Smith's toughest postseason opponent, taking a 1-0 lead midway through the first half and holding it for 30 minutes before the Falcons finally got on the board and then kept scoring.
It was that tremendous group of Smith Academy seniors who kept the team within striking distance all along.
The defensive play of Jackie Strycharz, Jamie Allen and goaltender Kierstan Mulcare turned away all Tiger runs before they became dangerous. Midfielders Jill Hopfenspirger and Lindsay Gondek controlled the flow of the game and forward Steph Slysz made run after run through traffic until she finally connected with sophomore Alyssa Woodward for the game-tying goal.
And while the seniors are all dynamic on the field, they've also been instrumental in forming a tight bond throughout the roster.
"We really wanted to win this for them," Woodward said. "This is their year. They've been together since seventh grade and worked so hard. As underclassmen we really wanted to do it for them because they deserve it."
But don't overlook the contributions of the non-senior starters. Junior Sarah Wickles is a dynamic midfielder with 70 career goals and 20 assists. Freshman Emiko Barker and Woodward are both strong scoring threats with a combined 27 goals this season and junior Allison Slysz and sophomore Bridget Campbell are vital for a defensive squad that has allowed either one or no goals in 17 of the team's 21 games this season.
No wonder Webb's poker face failed her this year. She knew before anyone else that she had the winning hand.
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com. For more coverage, including a high school sports blog, go to www.gazettenet.com/hs-sports. Get updates directly into your Facebook newsfeed at www.facebook.com/gazette.hs.
