Season Preview: Ossining Field Hockey

A team couldn’t have a tougher opening day opponent than Ossining has as it will travel to two-time state Class B champion Lakeland at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 6 in its opener.

Ossining actually played Lakeland in this summer’s Hudson Valley Summer Field Hockey League championship game at Putnam Valley High School, which it lost to the Hornets 10-2.

While the outcome of its final game of the summer may not be what the Pride wanted, playing with the effort it did against Lakeland and making it to the finals is a sign of good things to come for this fall.

“Unfortunately we didn’t win but we have a lot of heart and if we play with the same amount heart as we did that night we will be fine,” Ossining goalie and senior co-captain Grace Lombardi said. “The fact that it is our first game to open with then will just give us even more incentive to do well.”

What also gives Ossining, which was 8-6-3 a year ago, extra incentive this year is losing to visiting Yorktown 2-1 in overtime in the opening round of the Section 1 Class A tournament a year ago.

“Just the fact that there are 10 seniors on the team basically says it all,” Lombardi said. “This is my last year playing. What hurts is that we could have easily won that game and gone much further in the sectionals than we did. We are just going to have to keep our heads on straight this year and keep working hard.”

Joining Lombardi in making sure the Pride keeps working hard are fellow senior co-captains, defender Alison Corrigan and midfielder Natalie Belvedere. Ossining’s junior captain is midfielder Molly Malone, who was an all-section player as a sophomore.

Malone was second on last year’s squad in goals with six. She also led the team in assists with eight.

“Molly plays all-year round on a club team with the best girls in the section with all the Lakeland girls,” Lombardi said. “The fact that her sister (Kate) plays Division I field hockey at Providence and to be able to learn from someone like that has definitely helped her as well.”

Looking to keep the ball out of the goal is Lombardi, who talks about how she is able to handle playing in goal.

“I definitely think just my voice on the field,” Lombardi said. “They always say that the goalie has the eyes of the field, I can see everything, I have the knowledge to know where everyone should be. I play all-year round and by doing that I have learned things from playing against other teams that I have been able to pass along to my teammates.”

One of those teammates is Corrigan, who actually played forward last year before switching to defense this year. Lombardi said that she is a solid defender who knows how to read the opposition well and is a great fit for the Pride.

“She is a very versatile player,” Lombardi said. “She can play any position and she has proven herself that way. It definitely benefits the team because whenever we need someone to play somewhere, she knows what to do wherever she is playing.”

When Belvedere is playing, she just has the heart and drive to always go to the ball.

“She is so aggressive, she never gives up on the field,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi said two key sophomores to look out for are forward Alyson Winter and midfielder/forward Abby Kamen.

“They are going to be key additions to the team,” Lombardi said. “They are going to help us keep building up the program because they are going to be what we are looking for in the future and hopefully bring more scoring opportunities.”