Submitted by Dee Stephan, Head Coach
The Haddam Killingworth High School Field Hockey team took the long bus ride out to Litchfield to take on the 2-0 Wamogo team on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. The Cougars came out fast and immediately pressed the Wamogo team back onto their defensive end. The speed of our forwards and strong hits by the midfield frustrated Wamogo as we managed to keep the ball on our right side and pressuring them in their defensive zone. Whenever Wamogo did manage a break away the strong defensive of Olivia Wettemann, Kelsie Piela and Maddie Catalano was able to deny them any shots in the first quarter. HK only gave up one corner in the entire first half of play.
HK had many fine breakaways and finally we were able to convert one into a goal after Brooklyn Bailey took the ball down the right side of the field and managed a beautiful unassisted goal at the 139 mark. This lone score would hold up going into half time, but the Cougars knew Wamogo would come out fighting.
The third period was more of a back and forth battle. Wamogo managed to score the tying goal with 847 remaining in the third quarter after a scrum in front of the HK goal. Tea Norman was able to make the initial save but the rebound was controlled by Wamogo.
Unfazed, the Cougars continued their push for the goal drawing 3 corners in the fourth quarter alone. Hard drives and speedy forwards however just couldn’t muster that second effort needed to put the ball into the cage. Give credit to the Wamogo keeper for having 7 saves to keep the scored knotted at one.
Heading into overtime at 7 v 7 10-minute period of sudden victory the Cougars were feeling confident. Again, HK was able to use its hard hits and speed to transition the ball into the Wamogo defensive end only to have it cleared from the circle. Fatigue definitely played a role in our ability to sustain the attack. Although we only came away with a tie the team played a complete game, with no let downs and plenty of positive energy from the bench and field. So many positive things happened in today’s  game, where we were able to execute our game plan and newly acquired skills.
Photo courtesy of the HKHS Field Hockey team.
