Cape hockey looks fit and fast at first play day
Just like girls’ lacrosse, the Cape field hockey team doesn’t reload, it reconfigures. Four days into the 2018 season, the 50th for Cape hockey, the Vikings split into two squads and entered a blistering-hot home play day, where both the varsity and JV teams teams pushed the pace for five hours.
The Cape varsity team rides into the 2018 season on a 15-game winning streak and a Division I state title, the fifth championship in six years for head coach Kate Austin. Cape’s JV team was dominant in 2017, going 12-0 and outscoring opponents 74-7.
Cape’s fall schedule is front-loaded with tough opponents, starting with home games versus Dover, Tuesday, Sept. 11; Delmar, Thursday, Sept. 20; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saturday, Sept. 29; and an away game at Sussex Tech, Tuesday, Oct. 2.
The Cape varsity team looked fit and fast all day at the Aug. 18 play day, mixing and matching the lineup. It was tough for partisans and casual fans to detect any drop-off.
“Saturday was a great day to see where we are at this early point in the season after losing such a big class to graduation,” Austin said. “The girls came into the season in great shape for the most part and have been working extremely hard at each practice session. Although defensively we didn't see a ton of action throughout the day, we have a lot of experience in the back with Marcella [Sabbagh] as the leader.
“As far as forwards go, it's not as much finding a starting group as finding a few groups of three who mesh well together,” she continued. “We ran a lot of different combinations of forwards Saturday, and we're fortunate this year that all forwards are pretty even and look game ready. Our four freshmen really impressed me with their play. They really stood out during tryouts, but I wasn't sure how they would react once we were in a game-like situation, but they all played with composure and the poise of older players.”
Cape has home play days scheduled for Friday, Aug. 24, and Saturday, Aug. 25.
