BY RYAN O'CONNOR

It’s been an arduous process, but Pelham High School Field Hockey continues its slow march toward respectability.

Coach Mary Johnson, in her fourth year with the program, second at the varsity level, said when she took over, the team was blown out every game.

“Those teams averaged 7-0, 8-0, 9-0 losses. I mean, it was a program that really fell down the drain,” said Johnson, a Pelham High alumna.

“Last year, we missed the playoffs by one game and have vastly improved over the last four years. Even when we lose, the margin is much closer.”

 Still, last year’s record of two wins, 10 losses and two ties leaves plenty of room for improvement, said Johnson, who said her team is at the postseason doorstep.

 “I’m a high school English teacher, so I have always had high expectations,” she said. “Last year, it got tough because we all had really, really high expectations, and I think we may have expected too much… This year, my biggest goal is to keep morale high. While the playoffs are definitely a goal, our main goal is to go .500, and if that happens, we will be there.”

Senior captains Christine Maconie on defense and Katie Bourque at midfield lead this year’s squad.

Junior Emily Koehler, who plays center midfield, serves as the third captain.

 “She was our MVP last year, and I expect a big goal year from her,” said Johnson. “She’s a great stick handler, and we’ve changed some things around to put her in a position where she is going to be one of our leading scorers.

Senior wing Alicia Beauregard, is also expected to contribute on offense, in addition to freshman forwards Molly Smith and Keri Foley, who Johnson said both have the ability to become immediate scoring threats.

Standing watch in goal this year is Alex Catalano, another freshman, who Johnson said exhibits similar athleticism to her older brothers Peter and Mark, who excelled in basketball and baseball as Pythons.