ST. MICHAELS — Kent County High School’s field hockey players returned to the classroom on Oct. 8, on the eve of their Eastern Shore showdown at St. Michaels, to watch film of their game the week before at Easton.
The takeaways from that “chalk talk” proved to be instrumental in the Trojans’ 1-0 victory — their first win of the season, and their first against the Saints since 2021.
“Watching film helped to put everything into perspective, watching our own mistakes and our highlights,” KCHS co-captain Grace Gerstung said.
Going into the St. Michaels game, she said, “we felt confident, but not cocky.”
“We felt it would be a competitive game,” added the Trojans’ other senior captain, Tess Fuchs.
And how did they feel afterward?
“We all played really well,” Fuchs said matter-of-factly.
Gerstung agreed. “It was everyone’s best game,” she said.
On what was the Saints’ homecoming, Trojan senior McKenna Messick scored what held up to be the only goal of the night with 10 minutes, 48 seconds remaining when she asserted herself in a scrum deep in the circle to swat the ball into the back of the cage.
Kent County had more scoring chances with a total of 12 shots and a 9-3 advantage in penalty corners.
Sophomore Aiyanna Copper, who started the season as a defensive back before volunteering to step in as goalie, earned the Trojans’ first win by shutout in four years.
KCHS will close out its regular season tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 15) at 4 p.m. against North Caroline. It’s homecoming, and seniors Fuchs, Gerstung and Messick will be celebrated in a pre-game ceremony.
