Position changes spark North Allegheny field hockey

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 15, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Tinkering with positioning and strategy has gained North Allegheny coach Trish Herbert respect from her players.

Not without some initial skepticism, though. Senior forward Olivia Scherrer wasn't sure how things would work.

With North Allegheny off to its first 4-0 start since 2014, Scherrer describes the team as a happy circuit. The Tigers were 2-0 in Section 1-AAA entering a Thursday night matchup against Norwin.

“There has yet to be a time where I looked at the field, saw how the team was playing and thought it would be so much better if I was playing up here,” said Scherrer, who plays at forward, but is asked to move back into the midfield at times. “They all recognize they are in different position and play the best they can in that position.”

Having a team develop early self-confidence is what Herbert was hoping for.

“I think it means a lot,” Herbert said. “You can always hope for more. If they want to keep getting the wins, they have to keep working harder.”

Perfecting the mental approach has North Allegheny overwhelming its early-season foes. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 13-2 and recorded two shutouts.

North Allegheny blanked Mt. Lebanon, 1-0, Sept. 2 and beat Latrobe, 6-0, last Tuesday. The Tigers also stopped a two-game skid against Hathaway Brown (Ohio), collecting a 2-1 decision Sept. 9

“We want to have the right attitude, change the mindset,” Herbert said. “It's all about going here and knowing what we can do and what we're capable of and be versatile with it.”

Having a lot of players with different skills has shown up on the scoresheet. Scherrer (five), Bridget Russell (two), Ally Barcaskey (two), Kayley Cooper (two), Hailey Wachowiak and Same Marion have all scored.

“We are trying to create more versatile players,” Russell said. “That's working pretty well this year. We have a smaller varsity squad this year, so everyone is well-conditioned.”

Moving forward, North Allegheny will want to utilize its fitness to make a run at the postseason. The Tigers already have the belief they have most of their players in the right position.

“Initially, I'm not going to lie we weren't too thrilled about getting our positions changed,” Scherrer said. “After the first couple tries, it's starting to work. Although offensive players and midfielders are next to each other, you recognize and appreciate that position so much more.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: North Allegheny