WINDSOR, Vt. – Windsor field hockey has not only earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 3 playoffs with a regular season record of 11-3, but has now clinched the MVL “B” Division Title with their 3-1 win over Otter Valley on Saturday morning.
The Yellow Jackets needed the win Saturday, as a loss to Otter Valley would mean that there would be a three-way tie for the MVL “B” Tittle between Windsor, Otter Valley, and Woodstock.
Windsor was able to find immense success in the regular season, despite not having any seniors on their roster.
When asked how her team has found success without much veteran leadership (only three juniors), Yellow Jackets head coach Jody Wood said, “A lot of these kids put in the effort in the off-season… they worked really hard, which says a lot about their drive. We are a small, young team… but somehow they play big. It’s incredible.”
Windsor knew how important and challenging Saturday’s game was going to be. Coach Wood said, “There was a lot of excitement coming into the game. We needed this one… playing Otter Valley is always a really good competitive game.”
Windsor faced Otter Valley on the road on October 9, and escaped with a 3-2 overtime victory, as Angelina Bigwood scored just over a minute into overtime with an assist from Hannah Wood.
To start Saturday’s game, the first half was very much a back-and-forth game, with neither side gaining momentum. Both teams went deep into the opposition’s side of the field but had nothing to show for it, as the first half came to a close, tied 0-0.
Windsor came out in the second half and was able to find their rhythm on offense. Seven minutes into the half, Peyton Richardson attacked the right baseline aggressively, and found Bigwood right in front of the net to put the Yellow Jackets up 1-0.
Five minutes later, Alyssa Slocum found the back of the net for Windsor, slapping a shot that deflected and soared into the top of the net.
Otter Valley answered with a goal with 10 minutes left to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 2-1, as momentum started to shift in the Otters’ direction. However, Windsor fought off OV’s late rush and found the dagger they needed to seal the game.
With three minutes left, Wood carved through the middle of the Otters’ defense and made a nice dish to Karen Kapuscinski who scored from the right side to go up two goals and ultimately clinch the Yellow Jackets’ MVL Title.
“I thought we worked well as a team,” said coach Wood. “We recognized that we don’t need to do everything ourselves… we passed the ball well… everybody did what they needed to do. It was a great team effort.”
With the No. 1 seed in D-III, Windsor will host their opening round game, which will most likely be on Friday or Saturday.
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