Holly Ward's goal leads Locust Valley field hockey past Cold Spring Harbor
Holly Ward of Locust Valley (7) celebrates her goal with Elizabeth Madden of Locust Valley during a Nassau girls field hockey game against Cold Spring Harbor on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in Locust Valley. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Head Coach Sandra Jozefowski preaches the saying “Don’t think, just play” to her field hockey team.
When Holly Ward found the ball at her stick in the circle, that’s exactly what she did, which led to her scoring the game's only goal in leading Locust Valley, 1-0, over Cold Spring Harbor.
“I got the ball right at the top of the circle and I just let every thought out of my mind and took a swipe at the ball,” Ward said.
Jozefowski said Ward has consistently been a key player on their offensive line. She has four goals and three assists so far in her junior season.
“She’s scrappy, she’s tough, she’s resilient, and she was just where she needed to be at the right time,” Jozefowski said.
It was also Locust Valley’s Senior game, and seniors Reily Roberts and Riley Haas were not letting any ball get past them on defense.
“They held down the fort in the back and they really just brought their A-game,” Jozefowski said.
Roberts, who has been a starting varsity defender since her freshman year, describes their defense as a spider web.
“We follow the girls who have the ball down the field and pay attention to the angle they’re facing to determine the next pass,” Roberts said. “That's when we step in and hopefully make a stop.”
As a captain, she says the most important role she has on the field is communicating with her team.
“I’m loud," she said. “I’m constantly giving feedback and positive encouragement to my teammates.”
Although they have a win to celebrate, Roberts said the night was bittersweet.
“It feels great to win, but it’s hard knowing this is one of my last games here,” Roberts said.
Ward said that there was no way they weren’t going to win this game for their seniors.
“I always want our Seniors to have a good game, but It was really important that we came out with a win today,” Ward said. “It’s rewarding knowing they’re able to celebrate on their special day.”
It hasn’t been the easiest season for the Falcons (6-5-1). They’ve had to deal with missing players due to sickness, so Jozefowski says that it feels great to have the whole team back together for this win.
“This is the first time in three or four weeks that we actually had everyone here, so we’re very happy with the outcome today,” Jozefowski said.
