The peak of the girls field hockey season is just around the corner, as the UC High varsity girls, with the support of new coaches, have committed time and effort into their summer and early fall training in order to meet their goal of making it to CIF later this fall.

The team is benefitting from a strong set of skilled players this year. Team Captain Nicole Garcia said, “We have six returning players who are seniors this year, so losing the seniors we had last year isn’t going to affect us that much.” Senior Tara Boyer said, “We did lose some key players last year, but with the new players who made varsity, it doesn’t worry me too much. From what I have seen, the team seems a little more cohesive this year.”

This cohesiveness may be attributed to the new coaching styles of Coaches Amber Zimmerman and Krista Jackson. Jackson advanced from being the JV coach to the varsity coach this year, and Zimmerman is new to UC High’s team. Zimmerman said, “The biggest difference for the team this year is the change in coaching staff. We are creating a cohesive unit between Krista and me, and are approaching practices and games as a unit. This is a fresh start for the UC High Field Hockey program, and we will adjust as needed throughout the season.”

The coaches’ personal experience with field hockey in high school and college helps them grasp what the team is going to need to do this season to win. Zimmerman stated, “Both Krista and I played field hockey at the collegiate level and plan to bring in new drills and line-ups to continue to support the competitive nature of the team.”

The important question is what specifically the new training strategies consist of. Boyer said, “I think we have been keeping our sticks down, and we actually run and cut to the ball this year. We have a different way to do corners than before. We draw our defender, Senior Adara Benz, up, and she typically strikes it in.” Zimmerman said, “Overall, the team has had significant improvement since the pre-season started. Key items to practice are the execution of our short corners and finishing goals. We are doing a great job controlling the middle of the field and getting several scoring opportunities due to the dedication from all players on the field.”

With the team’s newfound confidence and strength, its members don’t seem to be worried about the competition. Garcia said, “Our biggest competition is between Mira Mesa High and Patrick Henry High. In our previous year we beat both of them, so hopefully we can keep that up.”

Of course, the most important part of the sport is to have fun and enjoy every moment of the season. “We would like the girls to develop a sense of family on the team and always support their teammates both on and off the field,” Zimmerman explained. Boyer said, “I’m excited for senior night (the final home game for seniors)! All of the girls on the team have gotten really close, and we are excited to make fun memories to take to college.”