Bonackers Break Past Hampton Bays

East Hampton’s field hockey team has a two-minute rule — each time the Bonackers score, they try to tack on another goal within that same time period. That rule proved potent in East Hampton’s final game of the season, a 4-0 road win over Hampton Bays October 18.

“As soon as we get one in, we’re fired up and ready to go,” senior sweeper Kate Ward said. “We just never stopped playing.”

Anna Hugo scored first from the left side of the box off an assist from Cate Wicker. Although not within the two minutes, it was only just over three later that Wicker scored amid a scrum in front of the cage for a 2-0 lead with more than 20 minutes left in the first half.

“Once you get one in, you’re on that high, so you want to ride that high out,” the senior midfielder said. “I think we did a good job seeing the field, talking, connecting great passes and using everything we’ve learned this season — really implementing it this game.”

Although there was a long lull, East Hampton (9-5 in Division II) was able to get back into the swing of things to close out the second half. With nine minutes remaining, Olivia Davis scored off an Emily Hugo assist, and she dished the ball off to Grace Myer four minutes later for the final goal of the game. Goalkeeper Tia Weiss made seven stops to earn the clean sheet.

“There were a few points where we didn’t really have that flow, but we doubled the ball and started and finished strong,” said Hugo, a senior center back and midfielder. “We lost so many kids and I was really worried about this season, but as it progressed, we’ve gotten so close. We’re family.”

With nine seniors on the squad, the team will once again have big shoes to fill next year.

“We’ve developed so much as a team, and since I came up as a freshman I’ve met a bunch of really great girls — we lost some and we got some — but there’s been this constant energy on the field that’s helped to expand this program,” Ward said. “We’ve all supported each other from our first day of practice to our last game, going as hard as we can, and I can’t wait to see what this team can do next year.”

desiree@indyeastend.com