SOMERS, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Somers traveled to Hen Hud to open the season against Hen Hud/Croton-Harmon, and both teams went up and down the field for most of the first period. The edge eventually emerged, though.
“She’s really loud on the field, she lets everyone know where to go, how to get open and how to create scoring opportunities,” said Vivian Davilla of Caitlyn Mayfield. Of course, Mayfield included herself in the lesson plan.
She scored four straight goals to open a 4-0 second-quarter lead, and the rest of the squad followed in a 9-0 victory.
The Tusker force actually got started on defense. Mayfield made a couple of stops in the Tiger zone at the nine-minute mark, and, not done, picked off another 90 seconds later.
Mayfield juked the first defender, got the ball ahead to Roula Bachas, and seconds later, Somers had its first penalty corner. Marissa Petrini then shot the inbound, and even though the Tigers gained control, Mayfield wasn’t obliging. She stole the ball and put it in the back of the box at 6:36.
Obviously still a game, Sofia Borelli, Mayfield, Davilla and Petrini all played ball denial on the defensive end. The good work left Mayfield to do more stick-handling.
“We’ve really been practicing,” said Mayfield, and her weave to the goal line meant a backhander on the box.
At 2:45, the ball went back to the Tigers anyway. Even so, the home team didn’t hold it for long. Petrini picked off the free shot and skirted the ball ahead to Casey Johns. Her cross pass to Emma Donaldson got a rise out of the crowd, but the attacker did not connect.
Onto the second, the Tigers went downhill first. No problem. Davilla showed she could put the moves on, too. She eluded two defenders and put a stop to both drives.
So Mayfield took the cue. She stopped a Tiger clear and zigzagged through to a backhander. Thud. She gave her team a 2-0 lead at 12:59.
In the aftermath, Carleigh Ortiz got in deep nonetheless. Davilla was having none of the incursion, though. She stopped the advance and cruised past midfield to make it official.
From there, Somers eventually ended up with a penalty corner. After Alivia DiGiacomo received and did her own interior dancing, she got the ball to Mayfield, who fired past the Tiger goalie for a 3-0 lead.
In at 10:54, Mayfield was a solo act next. Receiving at midfield, the middie went in and out down the field, and hitting the left corner of the box at 8:53 had her coach in awe.
“She’s one of the best athletes in our school,” said Shannon Scavelli.
Mayfield wasn’t done, either. After Davilla picked another pocket on defense, the senior got the ball ahead to Mayfield, and she had the Tigers seeing double.
Big moves down the field again, the senior passed into the scrum, and Johns stuffed in the rebound for a 5-0 lead at 6:34.
With the clock now running, Davilla got the chance to be offensive. The defender lined up for the free shot, stick-handled past one Tiger and wound up big time. Her shot rocketed past the goal line at 2:55, and the lead was six.
DiGiacomo scored at the halftime buzzer, and the final two goals told the tale of having 16 close seniors on the team.
“We’re all friends, there’s no cliques, and I think that really helps us on the field,” concluded Davilla.
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