Ramsey puts forth dominant effort in win by Kevin T. Czerwinski special to The Record
RAMSEY – There is still a gap between Ramsey and most of the other field hockey teams in the Northeast Field Hockey League. That much was evident Saturday afternoon as the Rams defeated visiting Wayne Hills, 2-0, putting forth a workmanlike, no-nonsense yet dominating effort.
The Rams (2-0) kept the play in the offensive end virtually the entire game, limiting Wayne Hills to one scoring opportunity late in the second, a shot that goalie Katie Magennis easily put aside. Meggie Henry scored 2:33 into the game off a corner while Jane Pless scored 3:38 into the second half off a corner though Ramsey continually applied pressure, buzzing around the net despite sporting a younger lineup than in previous years.
“We have a lot of young kids we’re breaking in and trying to get some experience,” Ramsey coach Becky Fantry said. “We want them to be good at the basics of field hockey and this was a great game to see how we are doing with that. Wayne Hills is a great opponent. They are well trained and well coached and it was good to see how we stood up against that.
“This is huge. We had a great pre-season and we played four teams that challenged us like Hills did today and it showed because we were prepared. It’s a good win because it allows us to believe we can continue to succeed the way we have been. Overall, today was a positive.”
While Ramsey looks to earn a fourth consecutive Bergen County title, Wayne Hills (1-1) is looking to be able to compete at that level. Patriots’ coach Jacqui Giammetta spoke in the pre-season about how she wanted to increase team speed to keep up with the likes of Ramsey, Northern Highlands and West Milford. The Rams, however, continued to have a step on Wayne Hills throughout the game, though.
“As a team we have to learn to work together and create opportunities,” Giammetta said. “We played a little frantic. I think the name Ramsey gets into the girls heads. I’ve seen them play better in practice and the scoring needs to be more consistent. A few girls played all out but it has to be the entire team. It can’t be just a few because when we have off days, it kills us.”