RSS Feed
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Little things add up to big win for Copiague field hockey
When they scored, "the opposing team was like what are those girls doing?'," said Eagles' coach Patti Stein. The truth is that they are simply having fun, learning a new game that is in the midst of making its place at the table of Copiague athletics. The Eagles, which have yet to win a game, largely because they didn't even have a feeder program until this year, has been shifted in a positive direction and headed towards great growth and development under Stein, who played at powerhouse Sachem High School and eventually Duke University. "These girls have never played before," she said. "This is the first time ever. My challenge is teaching varsity girls how to play this game and all of my competitors are teaching attack strategies and more advanced skills." She's basically had to completely start over the last two seasons, her first two as coach at Copiague. "Each year the referees and opposing coaches tell us this is the best Copiague team they've seen," she said. "They said we're doing the right thing and that we should never give up." They may not have won a game, but the two goals they scored this year were an important turning point for the program. The other turning point was actually getting a middle school team. Stein gets all of the eighth graders, who have at least one year of hockey under their belts. Stein's work ethic is that of a Division I player, which is obviously of the highest caliber. She brings a lot of talent and knowledge to her coaching position and although wins would be nice, they have settled on a different type of WIN - Working hard, Improving daily and Never giving up. "They always walk off the field with their heads high," Stein said. "My girls cheer when the game is over because each game we improve a little." The Eagles played Greenport, the other non-winning Suffolk team with similar start up issues, and barely lost, 1-0. Next year, they plan on playing twice and Stein is certain they'll pick up a win. Look for Alyssa Sarsano, Christina Gardella and Ting Chen to make the most impact next season. Stein plans on coaching for another 30 years or so, so the prospects of cheering for goals will be an everyday occurrence and winning titles will eventually be the goal if she has her way.
|
for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information |
||||||||||||||||
)
