Old Rochester Regional High School girls varsity field hockey lost only one game last year, but it also graduated over half its team.

“They had played together for a long time. They knew each other well,” said head coach Polly Lawrence.

For Lawrence, the challenge this year is helping a young team mature.

“The skill level is so diverse out there. I went back to basic skills,” she said.

Lawrence admitted that it can be frustrating for more experienced players to take a step back, but her seniors have shown that they’re team players.

Fiercely competitive seniors Ally Saccone, a lead scorer and left wing forward for the team, and center mid-fielder Abby Offringa are pushing their younger teammates outside of their comfort zones.

“They’re all about the team,” said Lawrence. “They’re not about the glory.”

“I view this season as a building year,” said Saccone. “I think we’re here to help the underclassmen develop a strong team for when we leave.”

Both Saccone and Offringa said they’re trying to inject a competitive atmosphere into their team.

“The thing we have to work on the most is wanting it. We have a problem with going for it. We’re too nice,” said Offringa. “We’re like 'it’ll happen' instead of ‘I’m gonna make it happen!’”

Offringa is confident that the girls on the team have what it takes to become key players.

“They just need the confidence and that extra push to get going,” she said.

So far, the team’s record is 3-0-3. Lawrence said if the girls can build consistency they have a good chance of making it to the state championship.

That’s definitely where Offringa has set her sights.

“I’m hoping that we’ll make it into state just to show we’re better than a lot of them think we are,” Offinga said.