Lisbon’s Haley Tuplin, left, battles Telstar’s Adeline Charette for the ball during Monday’s field hockey game in Lisbon. Eric Maxim/The Times Record
LISBON — Lisbon had yet to score heading into its fourth field hockey game of the season.
The Greyhounds finally broke through Monday, scoring five times in a 5-2 Mountain Valley Conference victory over Telstar.
Sadie Hardt registered three goals, while Timber Mattson and Amelia Mooney each added one in the Lisbon (1-3) win. Brooklyn Kimball and Madeline Hallett each had goals for the Rebels (0-6).
“It was so nice to see some goals today. We just had to have the confidence that we could score,” Lisbon coach Julie Petrie said. “I talked to the field hockey gods today and we tried something new and it worked.”
Petrie credits a switch up in formation and the determination of her squad for the win.
“We (made) a goal on Friday (a 3-0 loss to Oak Hill) after not scoring again that we were going to come in today and score, making that our priority,” Petrie said. “They came to play today … I was happy with the way we played as a team, they were disciplined and our spacing was good.”
For the better part of the first half, both teams were able to run to their offensive ends in spurts. But neither team was able to put any shots on goal midway through the frame.
Midway through the half, Lisbon rattled off five straight shots in a two-minute span, but Telstar keeper Perry Morton denied the Greyhounds to keep the game scoreless.
With a little more than eight minutes remaining in the opening half, Hardt corralled a loose ball and struck it from the top of the circle, blasting it through the defense and past Morton for the Greyhounds first goal of the season.
Telstar and Lisbon players watch a loose ball roll away from the net during the first half of Monday’s game in Lisbon. From left are Telstar’s Madisyn Buck (12), Lisbon’s Laura Mockler, Emma Willey and Saide Hardt and Telstar keeper Perry Morton. The Greyhounds downed the Rebels 5-2. Eric Maxim/The Times Record
“It feels so good to finally get on the board,” Hardt said. “It’s exciting, as it set the tone for the rest of the game and hopefully the season.”
Exactly one minute later, Mooney tallied her score after she carried the ball through the circle and around the Rebels defenders for unassisted goal.
With 56 seconds left in the half, Timber Mattson, who was in the middle of the circle creating opportunities for the Greyhounds all game, found the back of the cage to give the home team a 3-0 lead at the break.
“Timber played phenomenal today,” Petrie said of her senior forward. “She does a lot for us in the middle.”
Lisbon’s Sadie Hardt cuts in front of Telstar’s Adeline Charette during the first half of Monday’s MVC field hockey game in Lisbon. Lisbon won the game 5-2. Eric Maxim/The Times Record
Lisbon finished the half outshooting the Rebels 10-0, with five penalty corners, while Telstar had two.
With the mood light and energy high after the three-goal half, Lisbon came out in the second and put an exclamation point on the game in the first nine minutes.
After freshman Haley Tuplin took the ball into the circle, she tapped it to Hardt, who knocked it to the back of the cage for her second goal of the game at 22:16. Less than a minute later, the senior tallied her third goal, an unassisted score for a 5-0 Lisbon lead.
“I am so happy for her … she played awesome and led us on the field today,” Petrie said.
The mixture of freshman and sophomores with the Lisbon upperclassmen is starting to take shape.
“We’re coming together,” Hardt said. “We’re getting there, it took a little while, but as we keep practicing, we’ve been figuring it out and it’s coming together. Today showed that we can be united and play as a team.”
Though trailing 5-0, Telstar continued to work. At 9:10, Kimball corralled her own rebound and put the Rebels on the board. Six minutes later, Hallet added her score.
Telstar’s Jewell Smith, right, has a step on Lisbon’s Loreesa Potvin as they both charge to a loose ball during Monday’s MVC field hockey game in Lisbon. Eric Maxim/The Times Record
While the Rebels only scored a pair, their attack in the second half was much different than the first.
“We played better in the second half as they passed better by looking ahead and anticipating where they were going to put the ball,” Telstar coach Gail Wight said. “That’s one of the things we talked about at halftime: when you have the ball on your stick, what are you going to do with it? We told them to look ahead and to see where everybody is.”
The result was that the visitors had more opportunities in the final 30 minutes, putting five shots on goal and generating nine penalty corners.
“We were getting (penalty corners) because we were going after the ball in the circle,” Wight said. “I tease them about not playing with blinders on, to watch the whole field. Once we started looking around and placing the ball, we looked better and that made a difference in the second half.”
Morton finished with nine saves for the Rebels. Lisbon’s Becky Budesheim stopped the two shots she faced in net and Maria Levesque, who spelled Budesheim late in the second half, recorded one save.
Telstar hosts Oak Hill on Wednesday at 4 p.m., while Lisbon takes on Hall-Dale in Farmingdale, also on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
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