Fox Lane field hockey hitting its stride with another win on senior night
- Jim MacLean
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Fox Lane teammates celebrate with Elizabeth Nash after she scored the game-winning goal against Irvington. Emily Kalarchian makes a pass off a corner. Katie Berisha clears on defense for Fox Lane. Georgia Webb controls on senior night for the Foxes. Jim MacLean photos.
By JIM MACLEAN
As the only senior on the roster on senior night, the night belonged to captain Georgia Webb as Fox Lane field hockey hosted Irvington on Friday, Oct. 4.
However, just a couple of minutes into the game, Webb took a shot to the head and had to come off the field. She wasn’t off the field for long, insisting she was ready to go right back in and play. And getting Webb back on the field inspired her teammates as Fox Lane controlled the action from start to finish and held on to pull out a 1-0 victory.
“I’m chilling, it got me on my ear, but it’s senior night and nothing was going to stop me from playing,” explained Webb. “I’m so proud of all my teammates and it means a lot, a new coach, practically a new team, very proud of everyone to get this win.”
And her team was proud of Webb for gutting it out as the Foxes rallied together and took control of the game. The Foxes dominated, but the game was still locked in a 0-0 tie until the Foxes broke through for a goal and a 1-0 victory.
“I’m so proud of Georgia, she is such a leader and we’re so lucky to have her, our only senior, she stuck it out and leads by example every single practice and every single game,” Fox Lane coach Sofi Southam said of Webb. “She’s always solid, makes very few mistakes, someone in the middle we can rely on a lot and she’s such a great teammate.”
That leadership was important for Fox Lane as Southam took over as the new coach this year with a young lineup of new varsity players. The Foxes struggled at the start, but after a 1-5 start the team has really come together and won four of their last six games to improve to 5-7 overall.
In the victory on senior night, Fox Lane controlled possession and the ball barely came out of the Irvington end of the field. The Foxes thought they broke the ice and took the lead in the third quarter when Emily Kalarchian appeared to score on a shot off a corner play, but the goal was ruled off.
The Foxes kept the pressure on earning several corner opportunities in the second half. Fox Lane finally made it count as Elizabeth Nash banged in a rebound after another shot from Kalarchian off a corner play at the 6:53 mark of the fourth quarter. After the Nash goal, the Fox Lane defense stood strong in front of goalie Alyssa Cambareri to wrap up the 1-0 victory.
The win over Irvington was another step in the right direction for the young team as the Foxes bounced back from a tough loss to undefeated Mamaroneck. Prior to that loss, Fox Lane had a three-game winning streak over Nanuet, Harrison, and a big 2-1 win over Somers as the Foxes have started to really come together according to coach Southam.
“The team dynamic is getting better and better on the field, it was always great off the field, and now on the field they’re really starting to connect,” said Southam. “From the defense, to midfield, to the forwards, three lines connecting and passing up the field and you can see the progress they have made. We’re still struggling to finish, but we’re scoring goals and winning games and I’m proud of them.”
With Webb as the only senior, it is a promising sign for the future as the team continues to develop and learn the game under Southam, an All-American at Michigan and former US National team member as a player in her first year as varsity coach.
“This game we had so many opportunities that we weren’t able to finish, but we’re playing well,” added Southam. “Emily (Kalarchian) had some real nice passes into the circle connecting straight from the defense finding the open lane. Sofia (Valente) is a rockstar, she’s solid with her speed and ball control at midfield getting it to the forwards Tori (Yanuklis) and Ellie (Nash). We’re getting the wins, and even against the tough teams like Mamaroneck we’ve had tough losses, but the girls played to the last whistle and that’s all I can ask. Every single play is a learning experience and we continue to get stronger mentally and physically every game.”