During the preseason, Greene’s varsity field hockey squad selects its captains for the upcoming season. Typically, head coach Sue Carlin expects the squad to choose two players. This year, the team made a request.
“The team asked me if they could pick more than just two players,” Carlin said.
The team came together and picked seniors Anna Crumb, Chrissy Conroe, and Erin Smith as their tri-captains, and the vote was an emphatic endorsement of the Trojans’ troika. “The team picked those three as captains, pretty much hands down,” Carlin said.
On a team that has such an array of talent at every position, and a number of players who are skilled goal scorers, playmakers, and defenders, Crumb, Conroe, and Smith are setting the example for an 9-0 Trojans team with their sights set on improving on last year’s state semifinals playoff loss.
This Greene trio’s leadership and season-long performances have garnered them our weekly honor as Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athletes of the Week.
“It was a difficult decision to pick just one player as a key to our team, we have so many good players, and they’re all key to us,” Carlin said, who in the same breath, she recognized how important her three captains are to the squad. “I don’t think there are three more competitive people on the field, and they all hate to lose. It carries over to the rest of the team, and it shows in their style of play.”
All three are regularly part of the end-game box score figuring in the goals and assists for Section IV’s highest scoring Division I team. Still, the box scores do not reflect the uncommon level of unselfishness each player displays. All three could easily pad their offensive statistics, but instead favor team play. “They could all score more goals, and if you watch our team, they really distribute the ball,” Carlin said. “They’re all just great team players. They practice hard and they play hard. It rubs off on the rest of the team.”
Conroe and Crumb come to the field with speed aplenty and the flashy type of skills that probably have college recruiters drooling. Conroe is fully capable of taking the ball through the defense from one end of the field to the another. Yet she doesn’t.
Crumb is another high-level skilled player possessing an excellent burst of speed as an outside midfield player. She has her fair share of goals this year, but is also an adept defender able to squash opponent’s offensive rushes – or track down opposing forwards with her speed.
Smith is a three-sport athlete and the typical “coach’s daughter.” Described as “blue collar” by Carlin, Smith does a lot of the dirty work on the field as far as disrupting opponent’s passing and forcing turnovers. She also plays well in space, and is tremendous at cutting to the ball, Carlin said.
“These three pour their heart and soul into field hockey,” the Greene coach said. “They work hard in the offseason and are all well liked by their teammates. They are all a coach’s dream.”
Conroe, Crumb, and Smith may indeed be a dream for the Trojans, but they are also a nightmare for opponents. “The whole team is just jelling so well together,” Carlin added. “The three captains are like the glue, and they are binding us together.”