Powerhouse Tabb blanks New Kent in field hockey match

New Kent’s Alivia Snow (left) makes a dash for the ball while being challenged by Tabb’s Arber Grigonis (right).

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent’s Lady Trojans’ field hockey team carried a three game winning streak as they knew that a Sept. 16 showdown against a Tabb Lady Tigers team that had not lost in 122 games would be a tough task. And while the visitors lived up to their record, New Kent didn’t let the setback hurt their confidence.

Tabb breezed to a 9-0 victory in the Bay Rivers District affair, resulting in a mercy rule victory for the visitors.

The Lady Tigers scored 90 seconds into the contest as Erica Lombardo found the back of the net. Less than a minute later, Makenna Cloutier netted a goal to increase the lead. Arber Grigonis added score number three for the visitors two minutes later, while Kaila Takahashi-Trader’s goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame provided the Lady Tigers a 4-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

New Kent’s defense improved in the second quarter, applying enough pressure to hold the visitors to a solo score as Tabb took a 5-0 lead into halftime. But after the break, the Lady Tigers refocused, Lombardo scored two of the four goals in the third quarter, leading Tabb to a 9-0 victory and capturing the win.

After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans’ Head Coach Erin Borszich spoke about her team’s battle during the tough opening stretch of the season.

“Our goal was to stay positive and stay in the game,” she commented. “We are learning from our mistakes while building towards the positive as we move on to the next game.”

New Kent falls to 3-4 on the season.