Lady Trojans deny Southampton shot attempt in 7-0 win

New Kent's Maddie Collins (left) outmaneuvers Southampton's Leighanne Teel during a breakaway in the first half.

Andre' Jones photo

On the first day of school, teachers usually provide students syllabi for upcoming lessons throughout the year. For the New Kent Lady Trojans field hockey team, they orchestrated a lesson plan of their own against the visiting Southampton Lady Indians.

Southampton failed to register a shot attempt, while seven of the Lady Trojans shots found the back of the net in a 7-0 rout during the Sept. 2 home opener.

The hosts wasted little time taking the lead for good. Taylar Holmes placed a shot in off a teammate’s miss to give the Lady Trojans a 1-0 lead. Senior classmate Brittany LaPrade added back-to-back goals, with the second score at the 20-minute mark into the game. One minute later, Caitlin McCaughan pushed home an additional score to give the hosts a 4-0 lead. Shortly before halftime, Clare Morris converted on a penalty stroke, giving the guests a 5-0 lead heading into the break.

Exchanging goals wouldn’t help the Lady Indians defense. Three minutes into the half, Bri Tompkins crossing pass assisted McCaughan’s second goal of the night. One minute later, Ginny Daniel hooked up with LaPrade, allowing the senior to complete a hat trick with her third score of the night.

Defensively, the Lady Trojans defense thwarted Southampton’s attempts throughout the contest. The Lady Indians reached New Kent’s territory only six times in the contest, receiving praise from head coach Matt Duckworth.

“We stressed making sure all we get all the small things and fundamentals right,” said the victorious coach. “Our forwards stepped up tonight and we are getting scoring from all over so far this year.”

The Lady Trojans are off to a 3-0 start, with Duckworth saying most of the success comes from his team working hard during the offseason.

“We lost a lot from last year’s team, but we have a lot of people dedicate to improving during the offseason,” he added. “Those girls have stepped up and filled in well for us.”