Gorham defender Ella Downing gets the ball away from a Sanford player during a game on Sept. 27. “You have to constantly be mentally engaged,” Downing says of playing defense. “You can’t let up or lose focus for a second.” Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
Jersey Martin could see trouble brewing.
The Scarborough and Biddeford field hockey teams were locked in a tight game when Red Storm goalie Jamila Mohamed moved forward, trying to get to a loose ball before the Tigers could gain possession. The ball slipped past, however, which typically would have meant a wide open net for an easy Biddeford goal.
Reading the play and sliding in front of the goal this time, however, was Martin. In the right place, and in the nick of time.
“I could tell that it was either (getting stopped by) Jamila, or a goal,” said Martin, a Scarborough senior and center back. “I thought instead of being at Jamila’s feet, I should probably be in the goal at the post to stop it.”
It’s the life of a defensive player in field hockey, making plays that don’t show up on the scoresheet but that help their teams win. And because it rarely results in scoring goals, racking up assists or hearing their names announced on the public address or seeing them written in articles, playing defense can be a daunting task that comes with little fanfare.
From the outside, at least. Coaches and teammates, however, see the value.
“You rely on them so much. … It helps you keep control of the game, and helps you keep the offensive threat going,” Gorham Coach Becky Manson said. “They get overshadowed by people scoring and assisting … but the defense is just as important.”
Scarborough Coach Kerry Mariello’s teams have used defense as a backbone on their way to five Class A title game appearances and two championships.
“They’re going to get bullets shot at them,” Mariello said. “I’ve got one that’s still struggling with a broken hand, and she got one whacked again. They take a beating, and they certainly don’t get the credit that they deserve. All of those great defensive plays that we end up scoring on, it’s because of them.”
Sanford defender Sadie Sevigny (32) clears the ball away from the goal during a game against Gorham last week. “It’s more mental than physical,” she says of playing defense. “(The ball) went through all the other players, and it’s on you. … If you hang your head and you don’t believe in yourself, then it’s going to be a goal.” Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
The ones who play on defense know their contributions usually don’t get attention like offensive heroics. Some have made peace with it. Others don’t mind – and even prefer the lack of notoriety.
“We don’t need to score the goals. It used to bother me when I was younger, but now, you live and you learn,” Gorham senior center back Julia Wareham said. “It’s exhilarating for me to get a stop. When I have that moment – I get a jab, I tackle the ball and I take it away from a key player or somebody getting a breakaway – I feel nothing less than on top of the world.”
Ella Anania, a senior for Noble, plays forward for her club team but midfield and center back for the Knights. She prefers the defensive game.
“We don’t get much of the credit and stuff, but I feel very proud of myself when I can stop a ball when it’s coming down, and when I get it out (of the circle) and everyone’s shoulders are lifted (in relief),” she said. “That’s like scoring a goal for me, honestly.”
Martin hasn’t played anything else but defense since she started field hockey in seventh grade. Even now, she finds herself having to explain the intricacies of the position to people new to the sport.
“I’ve definitely heard ‘Ew, why are you defense? You’re not scoring.’ I’m like ‘It’s more than that,'” she said. “I’ve had people say ‘Are you defense because you can’t shoot? Are you defense because you don’t have good stick skills?’ ‘No, I’m defense because I have good stick skills.'”
Ella Anania, right, of Noble on playing center back: “We don’t get much of the credit and stuff, but I feel very proud of myself when I can stop a ball when it’s coming down, and when I get it out (of the circle) and everyone’s shoulders are lifted (in relief). That’s like scoring a goal for me, honestly.” Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
It’s not an easy position. Defenders have to spend the game reacting to skilled players who know where they’re going with the ball. They have to be able to play back and defend the goal, or play up and cut off an attack. They have to be able to get the ball upfield quickly to start the offense. Defensive players have to be communicating constantly, to make sure the right amount of attention is being directed both to the ball and the other attacking players without compromising the formation.
“You have to constantly be mentally engaged. You can’t let up or lose focus for a second,” Gorham senior back Ella Downing said. “Part of being back there and being able to see the entire field, it’s your job to direct the whole team. Even the forwards and the mids, you might not play their position, but you still have to know their job.”
Confidence and toughness, both mental and physical, are key. Defensive players can’t be afraid of being in the way of a shot, but just as important is the pressure of knowing that, as the last barrier before the goal, a mistake could mean a score.
“I can get right in my head if I miss a ball or something, so that’s something I’ve been working on,” Anania said. “It’s a head game, definitely. You can be as good as you want, but if your head’s not in it, you’re not in it.”
Sanford senior center back Sadie Sevigny said defense is a constant confidence check.
“It’s more mental than physical,” she said. “It went through all the other players, and it’s on you. … If you hang your head and you don’t believe in yourself, then it’s going to be a goal.”
Gorham’s Julia Wareham, right, tries to get the ball away from a Sanford player during a game on Sept. 27. “We’re taught that it’s important to be confident,” she says, “because the second that you back away, the other team’s getting the ball. Even if you aren’t the best player on the field, you are in that moment.” Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
But mistakes do happen. And when they do, defenders can’t afford to be rattled or shaken.
“We’re taught that it’s important to be confident, because the second that you back away, the other team’s getting the ball. Even if you aren’t the best player on the field, you are in that moment,” Wareham said. “Sometimes you just have to be able to move on, and that’s all there is to it.”
The ones that do make the clear, or the tackle, or the drive upfield of a loose ball to spark the offense the other way. And when that happens, they know it’s a job well done – even if it’s now shown by their individual stats.
“It feels so rewarding to me,” Scarborough’s Martin said. “Sometimes the forwards get all the credit for the goals, but I feel like it really starts in the circle.”
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