VESTAL – Olivia Kennedy and Jess Unkel clicked at the right time has Greene cruised to the first Section IV Class C Championship in a few years and the first under head coach Christine Battaglini.
After leading Newark Valley 3-0 at the end of the first half, Greene went on to top the Cardinals 6-1. Of the six goals scored by the eighth-seed – or what is usually considered the underdog of the tournament – Kennedy and Unkel had a part in every single one, whether it was finding the back of the cage or delivering the assist.
“Olivia and Jess went off [Saturday],” said Battaglini. “The two have a special connection. They know where the other is going to be and are able to pass and cut seamlessly. They work extremely hard in practices and games and it is all starting to click for them. A dynamic duo is something that definitely comes to mind when talking about these two.”
But Battaglini stated it wasn’t just the two. The Trojans’ head coach noted that the entire team is starting to find a rhythm and “gel nicely,” as it was a real team effort once again.
“Our offense really turned it on yesterday and passed the ball extremely well,” said Greene’s coach. “It’s fun to watch.”
With the first 30 minutes being put on the clock, Greene took no time at all to score as Alex Brown took a pass from Kennedy and put a shot on goal that went past Newark Valley’s Gavin Blee – the Cardinals’ keeper – with just two minutes coming off the time.
“Scoring within the first two minutes of the game helped us really gain momentum and get off to a strong start at the beginning,” said Battaglini. “It pretty much set the tone for the game.”
The Cardinals tied the game six minutes after Brown’s goal due to a couple of defensive breakdowns by the Trojans’ led to Newark Valley’s Taylor Benjamin scoring their lone goal.
However, it didn’t take long for Greene to swing the game tempo back into their favor and with the strong team effort, the Trojans were able to kick it up to a new level and never look back
The duo of Kennedy and Unkel scored the next two goals as both times Unkel found Kennedy and the Greene sophomore made both shot attempts count with 10:47 and 2:33 left in the first half.
The Trojans’ held a 3-1 lead but, after seeing the Cardinals in action Tuesday night against Sidney, Battaglini and her girls knew they couldn’t let them back into the game. Following the game Tuesday, the Greene head coach said that Newark Valley were, “fighters” and “not going to give up easily.”
Yet, the Lady Trojans did not give them a chance to get back into the game as they controlled much of the possession in their offensive half of the field and tallied another three goals in the second half.
Unkel was returned the favor from the goals in the first half. This time Kennedy sent a ball in the direction of the Trojans’ senior and Unkel scored the first goal at the 9:15 mark of the second half.
She then took the fifth Greene goal recorded on her own before Kennedy registered a hat trick on an unassisted goal with 9:05 left in the Section IV championship game.
Senior Brooke Austin – the Trojans’ starting keeper – played for the majority of the game but with the large lead, Battaglini gave her goalie for the future sometime in the cage in the second half. Natalie Scofield came on and stopped the lone shot of the second half taken by the Cardinals.
Greene outshot Newark Valley 20-2 and put Blee to work. The Cardinals goalkeeper finished with 13 saves for the afternoon.
When talking to Battaglini after the win, the Trojans’ head coach stated she had talked about her team being the lowest seed of the tournament and winning the Class C title.
“We talked about being underdogs at practice because we were the lowest seed and naturally that’s the story that comes along with it,” said the coach. “We knew we had a tough road to finals, but knew we could do it.
“At this point in the season, the team that wins is the team that performs the best on that given day.”
As for her team’s performance Saturday and through the sectional run, Battaglini said, “I’m just really proud of my team for all of the hard work they put into the season thus far. The seniors have been incredible leaders, and our underclassmen have done a wonderful job stepping up and bringing the extra fire the team needs. Everyone brings a special quality to our team and it’s great watching it all start to click.”
Greene will wait for the winner of Wednesday’s regional semifinal between Camden (Section III) and Johnstown (Section II) as Section IV received a bye this year. The Section III or Section II winner takes on the Trojans at Vestal on Saturday, November 9, at 11 a.m. for the regional championship.
From there, the winning squad will move on to the New York State Class C Field Hockey Championships, held at Williamsville North High School in Buffalo the following week.
Battaglini reached the championships as a player her freshman year, a year in which the Trojans’ program captured a New York State Championship. She is hoping to see her players now reach that level of the tournament.
Greene 6, Newark Valley 1
G 3 3 – 6
NV 1 0 – 1
Goals-Assists: (G) Alex Brown 1-0, Olivia Kennedy 3-2, Jess Unkel 2-2; (NV) Taylor Benjamin 1-0.
Shots-Penalty Corners: (G) 20-6; (NV) 2-1.
Saves: (G) Brooke Austin 0, Natalie Scofield 1; (NV) Gavin Blee 13.