High School Field Hockey:
Crusaders' Constant Pressure Pays Off

Thursday, October 16, 2003

By Susan Hall
SJSports Special Correspondent

Right from the start of this field hockey competition between the Bishop Eustace hosting Triton, the Crusaders kept the play mostly in their opponent’s area. The forwards Theresa Barbati, Britney Singer and Kelly Burke were able to get a few shots toward the cage, but none of them found their way in close. But one did when Burke gave the Crusaders a 1-0 lead that stood up for the rest of the game. With the win, Bishop Eustace keeps their divisional loss record clean.

It was another classic field hockey game that featured the two top teams in the standings from the Olympic Conference National Division. Both could look back on those games that they knew they could have played better and were ready to show it on the field. It looked as if the Crusaders would not take advantage on their corner opportunities that were rewarded to them. But finally on a nice save by Annie Taft from keeping the ball from going out of bounds, she found Burke who made good on her shot with 18:06 showing on the clock. That effort only was enough to give Eustace the closely competitive victory at home.