Waltham 2, Bedford 0: Sweating it out

The tests came early for the Waltham High field hockey team yesterday with injuries to two key players during a game played in the searing heat on the Harding Field turf.

The good news is that the Hawks passed their first Dual County League exam with a 2-0 victory. The daunting news is that the tests will only get more difficult as they take on a very strong schedule with a varsity roster packed with new faces.

``I think there's a lot of new kids, a lot of gaps, but I think it's a nice game to start with and I'm glad we got a win out of it,'' said Waltham coach Denise Nugent. ``We had some nice passing patterns and then I saw some plays that weren't so nice.''

While the hesitation of inexperience led to exchanges that could have proved damaging against a stronger foe, there were many flashes from the young and athletic squad.

Waltham scored both its goals in the first half as senior Shannon McGrattan scored from senior Dana Cenfotanti midway through the session and Centofanti made it 2-0 with 3:55 left in the half. While the Hawks didn't add to the lead in the second half, they did show some spirited play under the blazing late-afternoon sun on an 89-degree day.

Their mettle was especially tested late when the 14-player team was reduced to 12 as Centofanti suffered a sore quad and calf, while senior Brianna Sorrentino - who had a very impressive stretch of steals and hustle early in the second half - came down very awkwardly on her ankle after leaping over an opponent's stick. While two of the three returning starters on the team from last year did not return, the Hawks preserved the shutout behind tireless performances from seniors Stacy Burns, Laura Marmion, McGrattan, juniors Colleen Monaghan and Allie Hickey, sophomore Erika Shay and freshman Emily Feeney.

``That was pretty cool,'' Nugent said. ``No one would have faulted them had they given up a goal. But they dug in. They didn't look great the whole time. But they got the message out there to keep it simple and they did what they had to do to hold on to this.''

Bedford did threaten a quartet of times in the final five minutes, but couldn't pull the trigger on a shot with 4:10 left, was thwarted by saves from junior goalie Natalie Viyaran with 3:14 and 45 seconds left and then a final Viyaran stop at the game-ending whistle.

Monaghan broke up two other Bedford possessions in the Waltham zone late, while Shay, McGrattan and junior Nicole Grifone won several possession battles in the midfield.

Nugent said her new corps has already come a long way in two weeks.

``We have lessons every day,'' she determined. ``If you saw us a week ago, Allie Hickey has shown huge improvement, Erika Shay has shown huge improvement, Nicole Grifone, who was on JV last year, is getting better and better.

``We're going to make a lot of mistakes. I can understand that. They know I just want them to try, and try to listen, and to try their best. I think the lessons are gradually coming.''

The lessons will have far less margin for error than in years past. While the Hawks have traditionally been able to break in new squads gradually against an uneven schedule filled with slower-paced games against similarly inexperienced Greater Boston League foes, the DCL slate will be relentless - with a few exceptions - starting with a trip to Weston on Tuesday.

``I am not really sure how it is going to be,'' Nugent said. ``I do know they're going to be better than us overall. We will have to find a way to compete.''
Nugent said this year's squad will have to do that with hard work and a developing understanding of the game. But, in the long term, it might take a bit more.

``We don't have a middle school program,'' she noted. ``All those teams have a middle school program - Acton-Boxboro, Lincoln-Sudbury. The city of Waltham, and the community, has to understand that if we are going to compete consistently then I think we need those programs. I don't know how much that will cost to implement. I don't know how that would happen. But if we are serious about giving our athletes their best opportunity, and to be recognized like they deserve, that needs to be there.

``I am not making excuses,'' she concluded. ``We are going to work hard. We are going to surprise some people. We are going to win some games. We are going to lose some games. But we are going to give a good effort.''