SAVE SITUATION: Hun School field hockey goalie M.C. Shea guards the cage in recent action. Last Friday, junior star Shea made 17 saves in a losing cause as Hun fell 3-0 to Montgomery. The Raiders, who moved to 0-3-1 with the setback, play at WW/P-North on September 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

M.C. Shea has been a busy girl this fall for the Hun School field hockey team.

The junior goalie had averaged 16 saves in Hun’s first three games coming into its game against visiting Montgomery last Friday.

Things weren’t any different in the clash with the Cougars as Shea faced a barrage of shots, recording 17 saves in a losing cause as the Raiders fell 3-0 and dropped to 0-3-1.

Still dripping with sweat afterward, Shea has no qualms with her heavy workload.

“Sometimes I feel like I am under fire, not necessarily in a bad way. It is more like they are good shots,” said Shea.

“The more the shots come, the more I am able to determine where I am in relation to the cage and where my defense is.”

Shea credits the Hun defense with holding the fort in front of her.

“It is really helpful with my defense, they are doing an amazing job,” said Shea. “They are working really hard and we are working as a cohesive unit.”

Heading into her second season as a starting goalie for the Raiders, Shea has worked hard to improve her skills.

“I am definitely stepping up to offensive players more,” said Shea.

“I have gotten more
agile, which is really helpful; diving more and making interceptions. Even if it is not pretty, it has got to be effective. I have gotten a lot more comfortable with getting on the ground and trying to save a shot.”

In addition, Shea has gotten more comfortable with providing verbal direction to the Hun back line.

“I do my best.  Thankfully I am a little bit louder,” said Shea. “I am a catcher for softball, so I am used to directing and multitasking.”

Hun head coach Kathy Quirk likes the way Shea has caught on in the cage.

“M.C. is doing a nice job,” said Quirk. “We have been playing 95 percent of the game on defense.”

The Raiders need to do more offensively to get on the winning track.

“We just can’t capitalize,” lamented Quirk. “We don’t get to the ball, we practice on this a lot.”

With Hun having a history of getting better as the season goes on, Quirk believes her team can overcome its slow start.

“This is where we were last year at the same mark so maybe we can get going,” said Quirk, whose team plays at WW/P-North on September 29.

“We have to score goals. If we could just put one in the cage, I think it would boost our confidence. I thought for sure we would get one today.”

Shea, for her part, is confident that the Raiders will get going in the right direction.

“We are a very young team and I think that it is just working together and getting more comfortable with each other,” said Shea.

“We haven’t found that combination of people yet but we have got a good core group so once we figure out those fine details, I think we will be phenomenal. We have been getting better every game. I think from preseason to now it has gotten 10 times better, which is really nice to see.”