The State College field hockey team began their season on a high, beating North Allegheny Senior High School 6-0.  Going into their home opener with a 1-1 record, they were looking to improve and defend their new home turf. The game took place on North Turf Field on September 9th against Cumberland Valley High School.

State High fell 1 to 2 in a tough battle, battling to the last second of the game. The Lions got on the board first with a goal by senior captain Libby Fortin. The lead was kept throughout the first half with a defensive save by senior captain Kendall Kleinman and many saves from junior goalie Bayla Furmanek. The two teams will meet again at Cumberland Valley’s home turf on Monday, September 30th.

Looking into the upcoming season, the Lions will be focusing on “me to we” according to Head Coach Beth Mink. “How can I play on the field so that I’m making the person in front of me, behind me, to the side of me, look really really good and putting them ahead of myself in all that I do, on the field and off the field,” Mink said. “[We are] focusing on learning how to fail forward so knowing the difference between quitting when you fail and persevering when you fail.”

This year, the State High field hockey program will spend the season on the newly built North Turf. According to captains Libby Fortin and Maddie Tambroni, the turf was slow to start. “I like it now that it’s matted down but at first it was pretty thick and hard to pass the ball on but now we’re optimistic and looking forward to playing on it,” Fortin said.

“I love the new location,” Tambroni said. “I think it’s in a great spot, however, the field is a little tall for field hockey but I think our team is adapting to it very well.”

Although the team’s home record began with a loss, they bounced back by beating Chambersburg 3-1 at North Turf on 9/13. Look out for SCFH returning home against Cedar Cliff on 9/23.