Small Squad Hopes for a Full Season

OXFORD – A semicircle of orange and black surrounded first-year head field hockey coach Lindsay Castonguay. Her players, dressed in full game uniforms, listened intently at their new leader before they were about to play their first scrimmage of the season at the Shepherd Hill Regional High School field. The match was part of their preparation for the 2021 fall season and their first big test.

“We have this chance to work,” Castonguay told her crew. “We have a chance to try things out and help each other out. Like, if you’re noticing things that our eighth graders or new players are not quite getting, then we can talk about that during the water break. We’re going to make notes on things that we’re going to want to work on.

“This is an advantage,” she said. “It’s not some kind of thing where we can yell at each other, you know, ‘why are you doing that,’ no, it doesn’t matter, this is good practice … Sadly, we only have enough numbers to just have a varsity team. No JV.”

Castonguay has a solid core of seniors to lead her relatively young 2021 squad. She has three senior captains returning this season. They are seniors Megan Raymond, Julia Obrycki, and Harper Hutchings. Castonguay will be relying on her seniors to help bring the inexperienced underclassmen along. Raymond is a talented player who has already committed to play college field hockey next year at Franklin Pierce University. Raymond and the other captains are joined by senior Katie Marshall and junior Emma Robertson. Both players add to the experienced core of the team.

Raymond, who plays high midfield and forward, said she looks forward to helping bring the younger players along.

“We’re a really young program, so I’m excited to see everyone grow as players and as people this season,” she said. “I’m hoping we can pull out a couple wins. I think because we are all such young players, we just have enthusiasm. Everyone is just excited to get out there even if they’re not quite sure what’s going on. I hope to help just coach them up. Helping them, like if they have questions, and keeping them on track.”

Hutchings will be experiencing another first for the Pirates. This will be her first year as the starting goalkeeper. She said the main thing the younger players must learn is to let her see every shot.

“With the new younger girls, we haven’t practiced corners that much,” she said. “I told them don’t stand in my way and they’ve learned. They haven’t gotten in my way at all yet at practice, so I just wanted to give them a reminder (before the scrimmage) that if they do, I will be talking to them. I need to see the ball all the time. I just need to see it. It’s a common mistake with young players getting in front of the goalie. Not a lot of them know that the goalie gets the first ball, so, when someone drives it, I get to stop it first.”

Obrycki, a midfielder, the captains are about constructive criticism. “I just want us all to play together as a team and get along and not get mad at each other on the field when we make mistakes,” she said. “Sometimes, if you’re sensitive, it could bring you down if you’re not playing your best. It can make you not play as great as you want and make you think you’re not playing well and stress you out.

“I would probably say, ‘hey, it’s ok, we made a little mistake. We’re going to improve and go on with the game.’ Next quarter we’re going to do better and not make that mistake again.’ So, it’s ok to make a mistake,” she said. “It’s ok. It happens. It’s about getting closer with the team.”

This may be Castonguay’s first year coaching varsity, however, this will be her fifth year coaching the sport in the district after one year at the middle school and three years of coaching the junior varsity. “Our regular coach is out on maternity leave so I am stepping in this season. My assistant coach is Pat Button, who also coaches Baseball and Basketball in our school.”

Castonguay’s team has only had a few weeks of practice, but “we have some young potential in our program,” she said. “I am confident that our younger girls will rise to the challenge and will only get better by being thrown into tougher games.”

“I think this group will rise to the challenge and lead our team well,” Castonguay said. She does admit the roster is still fluctuating, but hope some girls will make the commitment to be part of the team.

The Pirates had a tough schedule last year because of COVID restrictions. The team only faced three opponents as a result, Auburn, Uxbridge, and Sutton. “All of which are incredible teams, so we sadly didn’t win any games last year,” she said. “However, I am looking forward to playing so many more and new schools this year that we have never played before.”

Whatever happens this season, the players hope to be a close-knit team in the end.

“I just want to have fun,” Raymond said. “I’m here for a good time.”

“I just want everyone to play together as a team,” Hutchings said. “Even if we don’t win, I just want everyone to have fun and to know what we should be doing and to work together. I want to have a good time. I’m going to miss this team next year … I just want to have fun, even if we might not win, I just want to have fun.”

“It’s about getting closer as a team,” said Obrycki.

The Pirates dropped their first scrimmage, 5-0, but the result of the exhibition game was not important. Castonguay’s young team had a chance to learn.

“This was the first time some of my players ever got on a turf field, and the first game ever for a couple kids,” she said. “We had some scoring opportunities, but this scrimmage showed us that we needed to take a step back and reinforce the importance of positioning with the team.”

Oxford Field Hockey

At a Glance

Nickname: Pirates

Affiliation: South Worcester County Division C

Colors: Orange and White

Record: 0-7

Home Field: Oxford High School

Coach: Lindsay Castonguay (1st year)

Assistant: Pat Button

Captains: Harper Hutchings, Julia Obrycki,

Megan Raymond

Schedule