The Lakeland Field Hockey (LLFH) team has had a remarkable season this year. With powerful seniors and overall confidence within the team, the season isn’t going unnoticed.

Although there was a struggle with having a smaller team and losing last year’s seniors, new people had to step up and fill in the empty spots, but with quick adaptation, the team pulled through the season with a 12-8 record overall. With practices 4 days a week, and an average of 2 games a week, LLFH came together and built up a powerful team. With wins against Butler, Immaculate Heart, Dwight-Englewood, Passaic Tech, Westwood, River Dell, Demarest, Old Tappan, Passaic Valley, Ramsey, Wayne Hills, and another victory against Passaic Tech in the Passaic County Tournament during the quarterfinal round, the team has shown themselves as triumphant.

Senior captains Emily Becker, Drew Burek, Alyssa Brown, Angelina Cafasso, Emily Kebrdle, and Gianna Peralta were key to the team’s success this season. The seniors have made themselves people that the underclassmen are looking up to. With many important lessons and new ideas being brought into the team, Kebrdle conveyed that one of the most important things that she has learned while playing for LLFH was “Don’t underestimate yourself and overestimate your competition.”

Along with the impressive season, there were a few spectacular achievements for the seniors. Kebrdle has proven herself by ending the season with record breaking 202 offensive career points scored, Peralta has ended her LLFH season with almost 100 total career points, and Burek has outdone herself with a total of 210 career saves as a goalie. All of the above captains have left great marks on the team and have created memories for the underclassmen to hold onto and even idolize.

As a coach, Ms. Patricia Kebrdle believed in the girls throughout the whole season. Kebrdle said, “Watching individual growth of athletes and the girls build up and support each other is always one of the best parts of coaching.”

With the team being a smaller group of girls, there were small chances of newer girls being eased into the game. With no junior varsity season for some girls, starting their field hockey career on varsity may have brought in a lot of pressure. But since everyone was part of the LLFH team, they were brought into a new family that helped each other climb past difficult challenges.

Overall, the 2024 field hockey season was one to remember. With new and upcoming changes coming for the team, there is always hope for more seasons to be better than the last.