Garden City field hockey falls to Iroquois in state semis

For senior Maureen Arendt, being a part of the Garden City field hockey program has meant much more to her than just playing the sport.

When the Trojans fell to Iroquois (Buffalo), 2-0, in the state Class B semifinals at Centereach High School on Saturday, Arendt was crushed that her final season was over.

“I'm going to miss the sisterhood, the chemistry, my best friends and the camaraderie this sport has taught me,” she said.

Addy Vergien scored both goals for Iroquois, which stifled the Trojans offense. Each of Garden City's eight penalty corners were denied.

“We were more than prepared but we just had too much of an inconsistent game,” coach Lauren Lavelle said. “We have some really great athletes that had moments of greatness, but not enough consistent greatness to get the job done.”

Arendt said that the Trojans were up against a different style of play than they’re used to.

“We usually play with shorter stick-to-stick passes, but they played with a lot of long balls and we just weren’t able to adapt to that,” she said.

Garden City finished its season 13-4.

“We lost a lot of incredible players from last season, who have moved on to play in college now, so no one expected us to get here without them,” Lavelle said.

Even though this wasn’t the outcome Garden City had hoped for, Arendt says that she’s proud of all that her team accomplished this season.

“We were definitely the underdog this season and to make it to this stage and prove so many people wrong is just an incredible feeling,” she said. "We all gave it everything we had left in us today."

From her freshman season to now, Arendt is thankful for her four years with the team.

“The Garden City field hockey program is just so incredible, it prepares you for not just the game, but provides you with lifelong friends and memories that you’ll carry with you forever,” she said.