Lauren Satkwich, in her fourth year playing Derryfield field hockey, had come ever so close to winning a Class M-S title, losing in the state final in 2005 and 2006.

When the Windham native finally hoisted the coveted trophy, she did it with her younger sister, Tayla, at her side, following a 3-0 victory Oct. 28 against Newfound Regional. Derryfield’s first title in more than 20 years made history’s bite taste that much sweeter.

“It was nice to not only win it, but win it with my sister,” said Lauren. “I think when a lot of our seniors graduated last year, we thought it was going to be a rebuilding year. But we got a couple strong freshmen, and Tayla and I worked really hard and played really well together and are obviously really happy we won a championship together.”

Tayla Satkwich, in her first year playing with her older sibling, said having Lauren on the team made the transition to high school field hockey relatively painless.

“I was kind of scared at first because I didn’t know what to expect, but my sister and all her friends on the team were really warm and welcoming and made me feel like a member of the family right away,” said Tayla.

“It was nice to have a sister on the team because when I was doing something wrong she was really motivating and helped keep me (mentally) in the game.”

On the field, Lauren also literally had her back. The elder Satkwich played left defense and her younger counterpart started on the same side in the midfield.

So when the ball worked past the freshman, it comforted coach Lenny McCaigue to know he had a senior there to scoop it up.

“They locked down the left side for our team and did a great job with that,” he said.

“Playing close to each other was great. They sort of looked for each other, and it was really nice to watch that combination play out.”

There are some notable differences between the two, however.

“Tayla … does more with field hockey outside of school in terms of camps and playing with the travel club. She really is passionate about the sport,” said McCaigue, who noted Tayla played JV high school basketball in eighth grade. “She is quite the athlete.

I think getting some high school competition in middle school definitely helped her with the transition to varsity field hockey this year.”

Lauren, on the other hand, while not necessarily as natural an athlete as her sister, excels in everything she does.

“At Derryfield, our mission is to see kids do very well in terms of academics, the fine arts and athletics, and Lauren really epitomizes what it’s all about. She has been a star in several school musicals, is strong academically and now has a state champ medal.”

And though McCaigue returns a strong midfield next season, anchored by Tayla and fellow freshman phenom Anne DiPastina, along with the team’s top scorer in Katherine DiPastina, he said Lauren’s experience will be difficult to replace in the backfield.

“Lauren played a great leadership role on the team,” said McCaigue. “Most offenses attack on (their) right side of the field, so having a strong defensive presence on the left side was critical for us. She added that little bit of aggression to the defense in terms of winning the ball and providing good transition to the offense.”

That presence was never more evident than in the state final when Lauren helped shut down a Newfound squad that scored 105 times during a previously undefeated campaign, decimating opponents to the tune of almost seven goals a game.

“She was determined,” said McCaigue. “She wouldn’t be denied on that day.”

Now Tayla recognizes she will have to elevate her game next season to make up for the loss of her veteran sibling.

“I think it’s going to be a little harder. I mean, when I was playing with my sister, we knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and had a lot of time to work together. So with a new person we are going to have to feel each other out a little bit,” she said.

In the meantime, the Satkwich sisters likely have at least one more season together as both plan to play softball in the spring.