By LESLEY GRAHAM
The Ocean City Red Raiders field hockey team blanked the visiting Vikings of Atlantic City, 9-0, in a conference match-up Wednesday afternoon.
The win brings Ocean City to 2-0 on the season, while Atlantic City drops to 1-1.
The Red Raiders honored their seniors in front of the home crowd as they outplayed their opponents for a full 60 minutes, leaving Atlantic City without registering a shot on the afternoon.
Members of the senior class include Tara McNally, Morgan Decosta, Nya Gilchrist, Sophia Ruh, Alexis Smallwood, Tess Grimley, Katie Bowman, Chelsea Stack and manager Jill Perry.
Captains Tara McNally and Nya Gilchrist led all scorers with three goals and an assist apiece. Also scoring for the Red Raiders were juniors Carly Hanin, Camryn Flynn and Racheli Levy-Smith, with one goal each.
Six of the nine goals were also assisted, displaying the depth and team effort from the entire squad. Morgan Decosta, Alexis Smallwood, Sophia Ruh and Andi Helphenstine all chipped in an assist for Ocean City.
The Red Raiders got off to a slow start, opening up the scoring within the waning minutes of the first quarter on Gilchrist’s first goal, putting the Raiders up 1-0.
In the second quarter, Gilchrist and McNally combined for two more goals, giving the Red Raiders a 3-0 advantage going into halftime.
Ocean City Head Coach Kelsey Mitchell, entering her fourth season at the helm, emphasized to her players the need to turn up the intensity.
“I thought we started off kind of flat, so I challenged them to step it up,” Mitchell said after the game. “It was nice to see in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter that they rose to the occasion.”
The Red Raiders responded by adding one goal in the third quarter and then opening the flood gates to score five goals in the final quarter of play, three of which came within a five-minute span.
The seniors, who are Mitchell’s first four-year graduating class, hold a special place in her heart.
“I’m really proud of them, and I love being their coach,” she said. “They work hard, keep hockey fun and are great role models for our underclassmen.”
Although the schedule has changed and the season looks different, one thing remains tried and true within the Ocean City field hockey program, Mitchell noted.
“We are still focused on going about our daily business, same as usual,” she said. “We are focusing on every single day, one at a time, since nothing is guaranteed. If we are getting better individually, we are getting better as a team.”
