2009-2010 Field Hockey Team
The 2009-10 Peddie varsity girls field hockey team worked as a collective unit. No matter who was on the schedule, the Falcons were prepared.
The Falcons took down top-seeded Lawrenceville to capture a second consecutive Prep A state title, the first field hockey team to accomplish that feat. Along the way, a MAPL title was also won.
“This season felt like a ‘prove it’ season, and we came in determined that we could do it again,” MaryRose Croddick Molyneaux ’11 said. “And then we did it again, and it was really exciting, and the whole season building up was good momentum, and we really believed in ourselves to do it again.”
Head coach Allison Treese and assistant coach Sarah Somers built a program and a culture.
The strength of the schedule was a key factor as well.
And they played for each other for the betterment of the team, finishing with a 15-3-1 record.
Jill Skipper ’11, who played midfield the previous season, was bumped up to the front line to utilize her quickness and stickhandling abilities.
“You just knew that if you did your part of getting it a little bit up the field, then someone would take over, and that’s why it worked so well for so many years,” co-captain Madeline Rich ’11 said.
Sophomore Taylor Pennell ’12 delivered the game’s only goal with 8:37 left to give Peddie a 1-0 win in the NJISAA Prep A championship game on Big Red’s Getz Field. Four-year starting goalkeeper and co-captain Carolyn Horner ’10 stood strong in the cage.
Rich ’11 and Nora Wilby ’10 anchored the backline and kept Big Red’s forwards from penetrating the arc for most of the afternoon. Senior midfielder Gabby Horner ’10 played a monster game on defense and had several big hits in the later stages to help pin Lawrenceville deep in their own end.
And it wasn’t an easy task. In the Prep A semifinals, Peddie scored twice in seven minutes to claim a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Kent Place at home. Sophomore Kelly Donald ’11 had two assists, and freshman Becca Hetrick ’13 scored the eventual game-winner.
Also that season, Kerrie Kortmann ’12 scored the first goal ever on Peddie’s synthetic turf field in a win on September 12, 2009. Horner finished the season with 10 shutouts and 39 clean sheets for her career.
“They played without fear. They didn’t care who the opponent was,” Somers said. “It didn’t matter if it was a team they were familiar with or not. They just believed in themselves and Coach Treese and the game plan that was put together over the week. They were able to win a lot of games because they were so much more fit than everybody else.”