Tale of the turf
The synthetic surface at Deering's Memorial Field proved to be problematic for the Bonny Eagle field hockey team Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to the Rams in a Western A quarterfinal.
"Even though you have a half hour or 45 minutes and you're out here practicing and you can get a feel for it, it doesn't compare with what the actual game is like," Bonny Eagle Coach Patty Bourget said.
Even Deering's Liz Fournelle acknowledged that when her team first played on the turf, adjustments were necessary.
"It was really hard for us to learn how to play on the turf," Fournelle said. "We obviously had a lot more time to practice on it than anybody else did. We have a fast team so it's a big advantage for us because the ball moves so quick."
Deering will travel to Sanford for a Western A semifinal on Saturday – on grass. Gorham plays Scarborough on Saturday in the second regional semifinal on the artificial surface at Mitchell Sports Complex.
Posted at 07:07 PM
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I am the varsity goalie for deering, and I have to agree with Liz. At first it is difficult to get used to the turf, but once you get used to the speed and feel it makes for a great presentation of field hockey skill, and ability. I think over the next couple years more schools in southern Maine will begin to see the benefits of the turf. Hopefully at some point we can have more consistancy with turf being at all schools across the state.
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October 19, 2007 08:45 AM
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