BE-LINE: Hun School field hockey player Phoebe Thielmann, right, goes after the ball in recent action. Last Thursday, junior star Thielmann scored a goal to help second-seeded Hun defeat sixth-seeded Lawrence High 2-0 in the Mercer County Tournament semis. On Monday, Thielmann tallied two goals as Hun edged top-seeded Princeton High in the MCT final in a penalty shootout after the foes tied 3-3 through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Phoebe Thielmann sees herself as a catalyst for the Hun School field hockey team.

“I have been focusing more on distributing towards the outside, so once it comes to me, to get it right off,” said junior co-captain Thielmann. “I have been working on quick skill.”

As second-seeded Hun faced sixth-seeded Lawrence High in the Mercer County Tournament semis last Thursday, Thielmann got Hun off to a quick start, tallying a goal midway through the first quarter to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

“Lawrence was a great team, they were prepared,” said Thielmann. “Our mindset was to get a score in the first five minutes — we really just wanted to start off on a good foot. I just saw my shot, I saw the opening. I had to go for it.”

Thielmann’s tally set the tone as Hun posted a 2-0 win, earning its first trip to the MCT final since 1994.

“We have been working for this the entire season,” said Thielmann. “We were very eager, we wanted to come in and play our game and that is what we did.”

Advancing to county title game was a major breakthrough for the Raiders.

“It has been a while, we are so pumped,” said Thielmann. “The team has seen a tremendous amount of growth. I am so excited to be a part of that and all these girls.”

As a team co-captain, Thielmann has focused on pumping up the squad.

“It is about supporting my other teammates, I really want to support them,” said Thielmann. “I want to make sure that they feel confident when they are on the field. I want to help them and that is where I see myself, distributing the ball, constantly going forward but also
keeping possession and using the back.”

In Thielmann’s view, that supportive approach has led the Raider players to develop some great bonds.

“I think it is our trust in one another, we are a great team,” said Thielmann.“We trust each other, we know each other, we know how we play.”

Hun head coach Tracey Arndt credits Thielmann with providing the team with calm and collected play.

“Phoebe is a coach’s dream, I love that I get to coach her and I am glad she is only a junior,” said Arndt. “She has a lot of poise. She reads the game very well. Stoic is the way she plays. She doesn’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. She just plays really in control, whoever gets her at the college level is going to be lucky.”

On Monday in the county final against top-seeded PHS, Thielmann showed that poise, scoring a goal in regulation and then burying a penalty shot as Hun earned its first outright country crown, winning a penalty shootout 2-1 after the foes tied 3-3 through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.

Coming into the title game, Thielmann sensed that Hun was on track to make the breakthrough.

“These girls are really great, Hun field hockey has seen a lot of growth through the past few years,” said Thielmann, who will look to help the Raiders win another title as they competing in the Prep state tourney where they are seeded third and hosting sixth-seeded Blair Academy in a semifinal contest on October 25.

“Coach Arndt and all of our coaches have been doing an amazing job of inspiring us and keeping the program together.”