WESTMINSTER, Vt.- Bellows Falls field hockey moved up to Division 1 this year after a perfect season last year in Division 2. On Thursday evening, the Terriers (2-0) played host to Hartford (1-1) in their first Division 1 matchup of the season after beating two D-II teams to start the season. The visiting Hurricanes played tough to open up the game, but they could only hold off the aggressive Terriers for so long. BF won 8-0, with four goals coming from freshman Maya Waryas.
BF was tested early by Hartford, as they only put two scores on the board in the first half due to stellar goalkeeping by the visiting squad.
“Our first half was little rough for us,” said BF head coach Bethany Coursen, who has coached the Terriers for over 20 years. “I don’t think we passed or connected very well. But once we got the nerves and the stress out we were fine.”
On Hartford’s goalies and what kind of adjustments she made at the half, Coursen said, “They were getting frustrated that they were shooting and Hartford’s goalies were having amazing saves. But we made our focus to start out a little bit further up before we shot, and that adjustment worked well.”
The adjustment led to 6 second half goals for the Terriers in the last 25 minutes of the game, including all four of Waryas’ goals.
On Waryas’ performance Thursday, coach Coursen said, “Maya was on fire today. She’s a great athlete. She does very well. She’s one of those kids who has natural talent and a lot of drive. She’s very coachable. For a freshman jumping in on a team with twelve seniors, it can be a little intimidating, but she’s definitely met the challenge and has their respect.”
Last year, Bellows Falls scored over 100 goals and only allowed four on their way to a perfect season, ending with a D-II state championship. Coach Coursen, prior to the season, was hoping to have the same type of success in Division 1 this year. If Thursday’s game against Hartford is any indication, they will be just fine. BF moves to 3-0 after the win, and have yet to allow a goal this year, while outscoring their first three opponents 22-0 (4-0 over Burr and Burton and 10-0 over Springfield).
BF plays Hartford (1-2) again on Friday, September 21 at their home field, and then hosts Rutland (3-0) on Monday, September 24.
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