Any position. Anywhere on the field. Anything for the good of the team.
It was a pledge the Watertown High field hockey players collectively made this season. It was a commitment the Raiders rode all the way to the Division 2 state championship.
Few teams would have had the versatility and capability to do what the Raiders did en route to Saturday's 1-0 victory over Oakmont. By the end of a 21-0-2 season, Watertown coach Eileen Donahue had three of her most talented and experienced offensive players - seniors Kelsey Prendergast, Emily Sideris and junior Katie Carlson - playing defense primarily. She had her most prolific goal scorer - Erika Kelly - playing in net for more than half of the season and 45 minutes of the Division 2 North final before coming out of goal to assist on the tying tally and score the game-winner in the final seconds. She had a player who barely saw the field in the first four tourney games - junior Lyndsey Daley - on the Worcester State College turf for all pressure-packed 60 minutes of Saturday's final.
``It was always whatever for the team,'' Donahue reasoned. ``They realized this year that if they wanted to really get somewhere, they had to do whatever we had to do.''
For Prendergast, that meant going from being the person who had control of the ball as much as anyone in the midfield, to being a sweeper-type defender called on to sprint sideline to sideline and chase down the opposition's attack.
``At first, I have to admit, I didn't really like defense that much,'' Prendergast acknowledged. ``But, of course, I was willing to do it for the team.
``But, this game, I loved it. Knowing I could stop them and be so effective back there was a great feeling. The three of us (along with Carlson and Sideris), I think, we're terrific together. The games we've played with all three of us back there, we were unstoppable.''
Carlson was in the middle of that defensive effort Saturday after playing in the midfield much of the season and being on the attack in the 7-1 wipeout of Wilmington in the tourney opener.
``Making adjustments has been our thing all season,'' she said. ``It was always whatever had to be done for the tournament. This is the best of the best we're playing against, so we did what we had to do.''
For Sideris, that meant playing a mostly defensive position after scoring a hat trick in the first 35 minutes against Newburyport in the sectional semifinals. For Daley, that meant working hard in the off days to earn her spot on the field on the biggest day of the season.
``She's been having some good practices,'' Donahue said of the junior spot starter. ``We felt that was the best move for this game to offset their strength on the right side of the field.''
With Donahue's decision to stick with Kelly as part of the attack in the state semifinal and title game, that meant sophomore Kayla Costa was back in net after seeing limited time in goal the second half of the regular season.
She did not allow a single goal through the final 15 minutes against Manchester and full games against South Sectional champion Canton and Central power Oakmont.
Those type of individual performances combined to produce a championship. The sacrifices of players who gave up goal-scoring opportunities for more subtle - and often more valuable - roles in the background allowed the Raiders to achieve the ultimate glory.
``We wanted to be strong on the offensive and defensive lines,'' Sideris said. ``That's why we take risks here and there, for occasions like this.''
Then it all seems worth it.
The payoff for the Raiders came in the form of a police escort back to Watertown and medals commemorating their achievement.
It came in the satisfaction of knowing what it means to embrace putting team above self, and the reward that comes with doing it so well.
It resulted in a season they'll never forget, and a championship they richly deserve.
(Scott Souza is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@cnc.com.)
