2000 Girls Field Hockey Team - Division One State Champions
Team
Tom Brady always says that you have to start playing your
best ball in November: "It's not how you start; it's how you
finish." And, oh how the 2000 Girls' field hockey did finish.
Rookie coach, Maura (O'Brien) Champigny'85 (ab) had her
lady Colonials clicking on all cylinders when the winds of
November came slashing.
Led by leading scorers and All-Scholastics Caitlin Beresin and
Kristen Miller, AB went into the season having graduated 11
seniors who had played for years at their positions. Undaunted,
this newly formed unit quickly developed and reloaded. The
ladies will tell you that it truly was a team, committed to each
other and had a tremendous amount of team and school pride.
The DCL is regularly regarded as a league of iron in field
hockey circles. And Weston (a perennial power) stood in their
way.
The league was played to a 3-way championship tie,
and, as fate would have it, Weston was the first round draw.
The victory over Weston in the first round is described as
"the perfect game", won in overtime. With their confidence
bolstered, they were far from done. They beat 2 excellent
teams, Lexington and Somerset by identical 3-1 scores,
setting up an old fashioned western showdown with potent
powerhouse Notre Dame Academy of Worcester. Notre Dame
had been in the show, semi-finals or finals each of the previous
5 seasons.
he team showed its mental toughness by arriving
to the game 15 minutes before due to a failed bus pickup. That
mental toughness would come in handy the evening of the
championship game. "Brillig and the slithy toves did mumble"
at the North Wind's siren call.
Notre Dame controlled play and believe it or not, the wind was
a factor. Outshot 19 - 2 and at a 16 - 7 corner shot deficit,
AB's goaltending, defense and opportunistic offense - and yes,
mental toughness brought AB Field Hockey to its first State
title since 1983.
Over the years the team has stayed close -- they knew the
team counted then and the team counts now.
Tonight we honor
Coach O'Brien'85 (ab) and her Colonial Champions. You were
the best of the best and we welcome and honor the 2000 AB
Girls' Field Hockey team into the AB Hall of Fame.
2000 GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY TEAM
Class of '01- Caitlin Beresen, Tess Bundy, Lacy Johnson,
Megan Lyons, Mary Mathews, Kristen Miller,
Kathleen Niple and Linsay Torres.
Class of '02- Caroline Clummel, Leigh Crosby, Karen Dean,
Rachel Harrison, Lydia Higgins, Rachel Lampros,
Megan Lanigan, Lindsey Quilling, Allison Scheire,
Laura Tajima, Jenn Wasserboehr and Jennifer White.
Class of '03- Kerri Lacari, Molly Lanigan, Lauren Tulp
and Susie Whelan.
Head Coach - Maura Champigny'85 (ab)
Assistant Coaches - Betty Bradley and Mae Shoemaker
