The 2024 duPont Manual varsity field hockey team has reached the end of their regular season. This past Tuesday, the Lady Crimsons faced Atherton, winning 8-0. They also faced CAL on Thursday, losing 2-0.
The Lady Crimsons have had a memorable season, currently standing at first in their region and seventh in the state for RPI, according to KHSAA. The team also holds the seventh best defense in the state and stands in fifth place in terms of team shutouts this season.
The Lady Crimsons not only have become one of the top teams in the state, but also have several top stat leaders. Charlotte Connally (11, HSU), Chloe Cochran (10, HSU) and Stella Shuman (10, HSU) are some of the top players that Manual has produced this year.
Just in the past week, Connally has gone up from ninth in scoring in the state to her current place, seventh. She has also expressed her gratitude towards her teammates for making this possible.
“My teammates are truly one of a kind, and I could not do it without them,” Connally said. “It makes me feel good, but also gives me more motivation to play our game and play as a team.”
Despite Connally being one of the team’s key players, the mixture of talent, teamwork and skill has been a driving force this year.
“This season overall is full of positives. We work really hard at practice to play great in games,” Cochran said.
The team’s record is 14-9-1 this year, compared to last year’s end record of 13-11-1, which reflects the hard work and dedication that the team has strived for this year.
“The team has changed from last year through building our grit and intensity during games and practice. You practice how you play, and we have been putting in work day in and day out to build our play,” Connally said.
This season, the team defeated 14 teams, with several of them being notable for the Lady Crimsons.
For example, despite the fact that Manual lost 2-1 to the North Oldham Dragons in the beginning of the season, during their second meeting, the Lady Crimsons came out on top with a win, 2-0.
“It was most memorable because we could really see the effort and strategy put into this game,” Cochran said.
The Lady Crimsons also played Dexter High School earlier in October. The team was tested throughout the game. However, the Lady Crimsons remained tough.
“Our team continuously fought through the game, played as a unit, and we were mentally checked for every minute,” Connally said.
Through their hard work and exertion during the game, the field hockey team finished the game with a 2-1 win.
In summary, this year’s team has had a number of competitive match-ups and memorable results as they head into the postseason district and regional tournament.
“I am feeling very excited going into the post season because I know when we put our talent together we can make it all the way,” Shuman said.
