Field hockey sticks with it despite losing league record

PHOTO: Junior Aurora Hogan fights for the ball during a game against University High on Sept. 15.

By Jackson Chelius

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The Davis High field hockey team entered the season with a 77-0 record in league games. The record was finally broken on Sept. 5, in a league game against Pleasant Valley. While keeping the record was a goal for the season, it was not the only thing the team cared about.

“I want to develop great hockey players and great people,” coach Beth Hogan said. Before coaching, Hogan played for the DHS field hockey team. She went on to play in college at Michigan State and played for the U.S. Field Hockey Junior National Squad.

Hogan became the head coach for DHS in 2019. “When I first started, the record was in the 30s or 40s and I didn’t really feel any pressure about it,” Hogan said. In her first year, the team went 14-0, growing the undefeated record. The record has almost doubled since then but Hogan has stayed humble despite the achievement.

“My coaching philosophy probably boils down to giving players the ability to make their own decisions,” Hogan said. During halftime and practice, she talks with her players. But during the game, she prefers to stay quiet and let the players make their own decisions and communicate as a team. “We will also ask them what they’re seeing out there at half time and allow them to make their own adjustments.”

“My favorite part of being a coach is talking to former players of mine and hearing about how the sport and the team impacted them,” Hogan said.

Bella Gonfiotti is a senior at DHS who has played field hockey all four years of high school. The only pressure Gonfiotti felt about the record was internal. “When I was a junior, I didn’t want to lose the record and let previous teams down,” Gonfiotti said. Last year’s seniors reassured her that it wasn’t the end of the world if they lost the record and the most important thing was playing their best.

“The community is so good on the team and has really grown my love for the game,” Gonfiotti said.

Her biggest take away from the team has been learning to work with other people in situations that reflect the real world. “Also being able to separate the player from the person if you and a teammate have some conflict,” Gonfiotti said.

Senior Nicola Davis echoes Gonfiotti’s sentiment on team bonding. “I got to meet a few people who have become some of my closest friends,” Davis said. The team also engages in activities outside of field hockey that create that closer bond. “We do a lot of team lunches and have a pasta feed before game days which is really fun,” Davis said.

Field hockey did not always go perfectly for Davis though, as she dealt with shin splints during her junior year. Hogan immediately noticed she was struggling
and pulled her aside to talk.

“That was really memorable for me because it showed me that she really cares about her athletes and us as individuals and not just the team as a whole” Davis said.