Coming off an impressive regular season, the Castleton field hockey team felt confident going into the LEC tournament. The team was riding a nine-game winning streak coming into their semifinal matchup against Southern Maine.

The Spartans won a nail biter against Southern Maine 2-1 to advance them into the championship. Senior captain Haley Lassen was encouraged by the gritty win.

“I think our win against Southern Maine showed our team has some fight because we had to come back in that game,” Lassen said.

Head coach Emily Douglas thought the defense is what ultimately prevailed the Spartans into their win against Southern Maine.

“I feel like we definitely played a defensive heavy game. Our defense is what really held us together in that game. You know, we had some good opportunities in front of the net and thank God we did, but it was a very back and forth game and our defense really held us together,” Douglas said.

The win sparked a rematch with Keene State in the championship game. They were able to defeat Keene 6-1 in a regular season matchup but the team knew they would get Keene’s best effort in the rematch. The game came down to the wire and the Spartans fell just short of claiming the LEC tournament championship, losing 3-2. Douglas sensed a disconnect within the team throughout portions of the championship game.

“Lack of connection, we just had an off day. There were moments where it was not the way we typically play and I think we just had about 5 to 7 minutes where it was evident we weren’t able to recover from that,” Douglas said.

Although execution wasn’t on par with what Douglas was looking for, she believed the girls played their hearts out to win that game.

“I mean it, there’s nothing that I could really say that was going to make them feel better. It wasn’t the outcome that any of us wanted. I don’t believe that anyone could walk away and say they didn’t give everything they had. It wasn’t a lack of effort,” Douglas said. “It was a lack of connection but I told them, you hold your head high because we were still regular season champs, we still hosted this championship, and yeah it was a really close game but there’s no regrets after that.”

Graduate assistant Alexis Ruiz felt the team had a phenomenal season and that they should be proud of how much they were able to accomplish. Although they weren’t able to accomplish their ultimate goal, Ruiz has kept spirits high.

“I definitely had given them their space after the championship loss just because it was on our home turf and obviously, we don’t get rewarded for second so I definitely let them have their time to themselves,” Ruiz said. “When the girls have been coming in for their meetings or seeing them in the hallway, I’ve been congratulating whoever won their accolades and letting them know that we have time for next year. And obviously for the captains just telling them that they did everything they can,” Ruiz added.

Throughout the season, Ruiz was appreciative of the trust built within the coaching staff. Being a former player, Ruiz recognizes how things vary over the course of a season. Having the ability to make adjustments and putting trust in both the coaching staff and players was notable.

“Trust as a whole from both the coaching staff and the girls was valuable with us working together and developing that trust coming into the season till the end of the season,” Ruiz said. “Whether it’s film or how they played, anything in that realm, I think trust was definitely built so that really helped within the season within the coaching staff and the players.”

As the team steps into the offseason, they believe they have the talent to put themselves back in contention for another shot at the LEC title next season. Lassen, who is an intense but compassionate leader, saw how mature this group of underclassmen handled themselves this season. She sees a bright future for the team as they look to continue pushing a well-established culture.

“Moving forward, I wanna see more championships. I came into a rebuilding year as a first-year player and I think we’ve instilled the core values of honesty, trust, and respect for one another which has helped us be successful,” Lassen said. “The underclassmen this season stepped into leadership roles immediately and held each other accountable from day one. Most young players don’t feel comfortable taking on that responsibility but this class has shown the ability to drive their teammates.”

Douglas believes the team will be hungry and driven this offseason as the team looks to avenge a disappointing end to the 2024 season.

“I definitely think we’re gonna focus a lot on improving our culture, especially as the season goes on. I think the culture kind of changes a little bit as the pressure gets put on,” Douglas said. “There’s a lot happening but being able to keep the culture that we emphasize and push in August all the way through November, I think we could work on that but I think just the fundamentals and our fitness is something we always focus on in the spring. A lot of us are going to really wanna put in additional work because we were right there this season and we know we could be right back in this position next fall so it’s important that we are consistent with our training and focus to help us have a better outcome next season.”