The Conant field hockey team has one last chance to make the most of their season after losing their last two games of the regular schedule to Stevens and Gilford last week.
Oriole head coach Ashley Lingerman knew exactly what her girls were missing in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Stevens, and she let them know about it in the postgame meeting.”Just that sense of urgency,” Lingerman said. “That’s kind of been the theme of this year, especially with the budget cut from last year. We’re playing on emergency funds right now. We don’t know what’s to come next year, so we’re really trying to soak it all in and really put everything out there so there’s no regrets at the end of the season, but we just didn’t finish the job today.”
Conant senior captain Sophia Spingola dribbles the ball through the midfield. Credit: BEN CONANT For the Ledger-Transcript
Lingerman and Jess Strasburg took over a diminished Oriole field hockey program last year; the team played a sub-varsity schedule, practiced in the offseason at the two coaches’ Monadnock Moose field hockey club clinics and have looked good at times this fall, finishing with a 6-9 record.
“This season, we only have two subs,” Lingerman said, “so we’ve played games, even numbers down because of injuries. So we definitely are conditioned for it. It’s just a matter of showing up in our mindset.”
Head coach Ashley Lingerman addresses her team at halftime. Credit: BEN CONANT For the Ledger-Transcript
The Orioles have a solid little team led by their three captains: senior Sophia Spingola and juniors Mia Lambert and Brianne Dupuis. Spingola, who will continue her field hockey career at Colby-Sawyer next year, missed most of the season due to injury but returned her hard-nosed, aggressive playstyle to her squad for the final six games; Lambert’s a tireless end-to-end player who never quits on a play, and when Dupuis is at her best, she can move the ball upfield in a flash and set up the Oriole offense.
Conant junior captain Brianne Dupuis moves the ball. Credit: BEN CONANT For the Ledger-Transcript
“It’s nice to have the senior captain leading the way and showing them the ropes,” Lingerman said, “but we’re happy that those two captains will also be returning. They lead by example and they really set the tone for what we’re trying to build for culture here too.”
Conant has plenty to grow on besides their two junior captains; notably, freshman Reagan Boudreau has all the tools to be an outstanding four-year player, and sophomore goalkeeper Gretchen Somero is an imposing presence in the net. Spingola is the team’s only senior, so the future is bright.
Conant freshman Reagan Boudreau tries to track down a high pass Credit: BEN CONANT For the Ledger-Transcript
But it’s the immediate future that concerns the Orioles right now. Those final two losses left Conant as the ninth seed of 11 in the Division III playoffs and set up a road game at No. 8 Kearsarge to open the tournament on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Now’s the time for the Orioles to rediscover that sense of urgency.
Conant junior captain Mia Lambert battles for a 50/50 ball. Credit: BEN CONANT For the Ledger-Transcript
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