Hornets Battle to Draw Against Greenhills in Field Hockey

The Saline Hornets and the Greenhills Gryphons girls’ field hockey teams fought up and down the field in a defensive struggle Tuesday night. At the final whistle, neither team had managed to push across a point, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie. 

“The girls were hustling and anticipating their passes. That was definitely an improvement over how we have played before. We still have to work on finding each other on the forward lines,” said head coach Don Hes.

The entire game was a see-saw affair, with Greenhills starting the aggression early, but the Gryphons were unable to manage a shot on goal. Saline’s counter-push was equally ineffective, as both teams defenses stepped up during the game to prevent any serious scoring opportunities until late into the evening. As the first half wound down, the Hornets would get one last good opportunity on a corner play, but Allie Cope’s shot would go just wide.

“The defense did a really good job, and the midfielders were really supporting our defense.  The defenders were good at anticipating the balls coming in deep and bringing them out to the sides. It’s something we have been practicing, and they did a good job with it today,” said Hes.

The second half went much the same way as the first. With 13:00 left to go, Saline would dial up the pressure, but the Gryphon goal keeper made a huge stop to keep Saline off the board. The same thing would occur with 7:00 remaining when Saline’s defense came up with a steal and moved the ball effectively to its offense to start a fast break. The Hornet shot would fly just off to the left of the goal. With just under 5:00 remaining in the game, Greenhills would begin some of their own harassment, but goal keeper Jess Opaleski and the defense was more than up to the challenge. The game ended at 0-0 with play volleying back and forth in the middle of the field.

“Jess is an aggressive goalie, but she also knows when not to be aggressive. She has a way of figuring out what to do when. She’s very poised and she doesn’t get nervous,” said Hes.

Saline’s junior varsity squad won 1-0 in the early game. Both Hornet squads will travel to Grosse Point South to continue their season on Thursday.