Weekend update... 9/30/12

Ok.. so is it really Sunday already?!? And September is gone??! Where did the time go??

As we enter October, I have many updates for you all!

Let's start with how the rest of our week looked...

On Thursday Sept 27, the HFFH team played Newfield and came up with a big W! Honestly though, it was probably one of the worst games I have seen and it was in part of our girls but how the other team played and how the officials officiated. Two players on their team were given yellow cards for pushing. A yellow card means that a player must be out of play for 5 minutes! They played very dirty and scrappy but it was clear who the better team was (I know I'm biased and I always will be =) )

The girls played well and credit is due to our scorers Sam Gray (whose goal was assisted by Wex) and Katie DeNicola (assisted by Taylor Weiss) The girls out shot, out cornered and out played them. Great Job HFFH!

On Saturday the girls played the reigning NYS Champions Sachem East. Not only was it beautiful hockey, but the girls were ampted, pumped up and had a great time playing. Sachem East beat the HFFH team 4-0 but the HF defense was superb. The head coach for Sachem commended us on our defense and was super impressed! The team played hard and we couldn't be any prouder!

On tuesday, we play Smithtown East... WHO BEAT WARD MELVILLE!! This is one of the biggest games for us this season and we have no doubt that we can beat them!! Try to come to the game and show your support! We'd love to see you all there! Remember what happened last year (sudden death strokes..! ) Let's score early !


             In other news, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the HFFH team participating in fundraising money for Breast Cancer Research! This October the girls will be participating in a fundraiser called "Corners for the Cause"

This is how Corners for the Cause works. For the entire month of October, the HFFH team will keep track of how many OFFENSIVE CORNERS they receive in each game. This number will vary from game to game. Each member of the HFFH team is to find a sponsor. You can have more than one but each player must have at least ONE sponsor. Each sponsor must be willing to donate a minimum of $1 per corner. For every corner the girls receive, the sponsor will donate $1. So, by the last game of the season (we will not include playoffs) if the team accumulates a total of 20 corners in the month of October and a sponsor pledge $1 per corner, then that sponsor owes $20. 

If you are interested in participating in our on going fundraiser, contact one of our players!

We will also be hosting a "Play for the Cause" Game sometime in October. The dates has not been decided as of yet but on this date, the girls will be playing for an individual (someone who they decide on) in honor of their fight and survival against this terrible disease. Also on this date, the girls will be charging admission to the game. All money will be going towards the fundraiser. If you parents have any ideas about ways to help fundraise money (maybe a bake sale on the day of the game or something) please don't hesitate to partake in the activities!!


On a side note, I would personally like to thank Mrs. Bifulco and the Weschler family for donating toward my personal fundraiser (I'm running a half marathon in Dec for Crohns Disease)


Lastly, I had heard the sad new about the HF Soccer team players who were involved in the terrible car accident. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families, and knowing how close the HF community family is, I know everyone must be hurting. I pray for a quick and safe recovery to all members involved.


Happy Last Day of September and see you all soon!!

- Coach A

Keep your head up high

I have a lot of thoughts on today's game. It is extremely unfortunate that today's game ended the way it did. The better team did not come out on top and unfortunately, that's life sometimes. We out played, out skilled, out shot and out cornered Northport and it was only in strokes when more of their players got the ball in the net did we lose the upper hand. We've said it before and we'll say it again.... this game did not reflect how we played. Spectators saw that. Coaches saw it. Refs saw it. Even players saw it. But there always has to be a winner. And today's game wasn't about who wanted it more.. because the tornadoes wanted it. It was about luck.


I said this to the girls and I'll say it to all of you.  I am extremely proud of how all the girls played. Though we did not win, I do not feel that we lost. It was probably the first game where I saw the HFFH fight. We were aggressive, we had beautiful passing, we were composed and strong. We played as a team and as a coach, that  is all we can ask for.


Does it, for lack of a better term, suck that we were not victorious? Absolutely. I would be concerned if our girls didn't feel upset. They played with every bit of heart and soul  that it doesn't feel good that we couldn't show that with the scoreboard. But it is important for us to remember that being victorious does not mean we win every game. Today, the girls played as a team. They gave it everything they got and were united as one for a common purpose. That is what matters. I am so proud to be part of a team that consists of girls who are as hard working, dedicating and special as the HFFH team.

I am proud of how you girls played today and your heads should be up. You gave it all you've got. Nothing more can be asked of you .


Our next match is on Thursday against Newfield. I think we are hungry for another win... so lets make it happen!

Animals grab the W!!

So .. for all of those who were on the team last year, you understand what this game meant to us. Last game of the season. Lost in Strokes. We were not going to let history repeat itself.

So... let me all tell you a little secret. I graduated from Sachem North. The turf we played on on Friday was where I played my high school games as a senior. So needless to say, it is weird to come back as the opposing team to my old "home" field.

But I am beyond thrilled about the results of yesterday's game! Winning 3-0! That is the team I know!

Goals were scored by

Katie DeNicola assisted by Taylor Weiss
Sam Gray assisted by Nicole Bifulco
Claudia Maimone

We had over 10 corners and no defensive corners against us.

Both Coach and I are extremely proud of how the girls played! The passing was great. The girls were aggressive and just kept shooting! It was a really great game to watch and the girls deserved to win 3-0!


Monday the HFFH plays Northport! It's at home (so make sure you try to make it!) and its a HUGE game!


Go HF!

Personal Note:

Good Morning everyone!

So, this post actually has nothing to do with HFFH .. but more so me and a personal goal I am trying to accomplish! I am letting you all know because I would love any support I can get whether it be words of encouragement or monetary donations or even just spreading the word. 

 I know many of you don't know me that well and besides field hockey, I actually like running. That's right, for fun! I'm not that fast but I do like to participate in half marathon and marathon races! What motivates me to run... well I can't answer that, but I do enjoy it.. maybe i'm just crazy!
This year, I am participating in the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon on December 2! I am very excited about it and have begun training to run the 13.1 miles !

That's not all. I am not just running for running, although I have done that before. This year I have decided to team up with TEAM CHALLENGE, a non profit organization that helps fund raise money towards finding a cure for Crohn's Disease and Colitis. I do have a goal of $3800 to fundraise and am well on my way. I am very excited to be a part of this and can't wait to get the Vegas for the race!

If anyone is interested in helping out me and for the cause ... I do have a webpage in which you can donate. No amount is too little and ofcourse do not feel obligated. Many of my friends and family are always interested in helping towards causes like this and I just wanted to spread the word out to all of you!

My website is here:

http://www.active.com/donate/liLV12/Vegas12liSAlexan


Thanks again for all the support you give on a daily basis for the HFFH team!! 

HFFH vs Ward Melville

Good evening! So tonight the HFFH team played 3rd seated Ward Melville, and unfortunately, the outcome was not as we had expected. Though it is easy to say "we had an off game", the truth of the matter was that yet again, the score was not reflective of the girls play. This was not only seen by the coaching staff but by the referees as well who commended us and said that the score did not reflect the girls abilities. Coming into this game, we were aware of the challenges that we were going to face. We did not have home advantage, in addition that we played on grass turf, a surface that we rarely get to practice. We have some injuries and illnesses to players who have impacted our team and we were just unfortunate to not get the opportunities we worked so hard to get to. But we don't make excuses. We learn from our play, we move on and forward and we are ready to take the Patriots on again when they come to our field in October. And next time, we will be on top ! ( I'm always optimistic). On a positive note, the girls played well- putting pressure to the ball and dominating the majority of the game. Also, everyone at the game got to see playing time!

So I realized tonight that we have not been on-top of our player of the game tradition. For those who are not aware of what we do, the coaching staff nominates a player each game who we feel is the player of the game. Let's look back at our last few games...

Bayport Bluepoint: Katie DeNicola
Centereach- Taylor Weiss
Sayville- Isabelle "Wex" Wechsler
Ward Melville: Claudia Maimone

Congrats Claudia on making player of the game! Your skills were strong and you were a leader on the field =)


Our next game is on Friday at Sachem North and will be televised!! Make sure to tune into MSG Varsity Friday!

here we go tornadoes!

Weekend update

Good afternoon all!! The HFFH team had a great game weekend against Centereach on Friday and Sayville on Saturday! Were you there to catch the game? For those who were... we had two absolutely gorgeous days and some great competition!

On Friday, the girls played Centereach! From the moment I got to the high school, I had a feeling that the girls were going to have a great game! The sun was shining and the girls had the best warm up this season! Our Gigi was sick and was not able to play, but after some lineup changes, we found a lineup that really clicked! Caroline Saros started as our center midfield, Colleen Morgan started at right back and Melanie Gray started as a link. From the very beginning the girls were on fire! They had the upper hand in the game the whole time. Within the first ten minutes of play, the girls scored their first and only goal of the game- Goal scored by Melanie Gray and assisted by Sam Gray.
Defensively, the girls had a phenomenal game. Within the whole sixty minutes, the girls allowed the ball to go into our defensive circle at most three times. The defensive stepped up to every ball and also played very offensively…meaning they pushed up the field… allowing the other lines (links, midfield and forwards) to move up as well. As a former defensive player, this was very exciting to watch.
For those who were at the game, it is safe to say that the score was not reflective of the game. The HFFH team had earned 17 offensive corners to Centereach’s 2. Nice job HFFH!

Oh yes, and former HFFH player HONEY ROCHE came to support the tornadoes. The girls were very excited to see her as well as the coaching staff.
On Saturday, HFFH got prepared again, but this time to play the 2011 Long Island B Side Small School Champion’s Sayville. Going into this season, the coaching staff knew this would be a challenging game, being that the skill of Sayville’s team is very good, but we were up for the challenge. The outcome of the game was not what we were hoping for, the girls lost 3-0, but again, it was a situation in which the score did not reflect the girls play. Sayville scored all three girls in the first half, two of them within two minutes of each other. However, when looking at the game play and watching the game, HFFH had dominating much of the game, especially in the second half. It was unfortunate that the girls couldn’t score, but it was great experience and we are looking to see Sayville again, in playoffs. The coaching staff of Sayville had commending Chandler on her great goal keeping skills and was already looking to play us next season! 

Next week we have two games on the turf… games which both the players and the coaches are excited about. On Wednesday the girls will play Ward Melville – a game that will be very exciting! Ward Melville is ranked above us this year and when we played them last year, we were very close to winning. On Friday, we will play Sachem North at Sachem North. But that’s not all… WE WILL BE ON TV! That’s right! MSG Varsity is taping our game so if you can’t come to the game, you can watch it on TV! I believe MSG Varsity is only found on Optimum so make sure to record your DVRs!

I would also like to thank Mrs. Bifulco for taking some wonderful shots of the girls in action! They are absolutely great!

Quote of the Day!

Scrimmage against Half Hollow Hills

Wasn't today the most beautiful day? I don't think the girls could have had a better day to have a game ! Today the HFFH teams, both Varsity and JV played against Half Hollow Hills. Normally in a scrimmage, the coaches officiate the game, in that the game isn;t officials and refs usually don't come. However, the girls were very lucky today to get 2 refs, (and might I add they were very well trained refs) to ref our game. Half Hollow Hills also has a turf facility so it was very enjoyable to play on such a nice surface.

The girls played 2 30 minute halves and every girl got some playing action! In the first half, the HFFH scored two goals- the first by Senior Colleen Morgan and the second by Freshmen Taylor Miltner! The tornadoes had over 5 penalty corners and took over a dozen shots on goal.

In the second half, the tornadoes put the ball in the net two additional times. Senior Erin Slutter tenaciously placed the ball in the goal in the begging of the second half. The fourth and final goal was scored by sophomore Taylor Weiss who tipped the ball into the net of a pass from Daniele Miltner!

We ended the scrimmage by doing a stroke off series. Ten girls from each team took a stroke on goal.
From Harborfields, Isabelle Wechsler, Katie DeNicola, Colleen Morgan, Daniele Miltner, Caroline Saros, and Sam Gray all made their stroke. Kaitlin Cassar also put the ball behind the net, but because she was not wearing her mouth guard at the time of stroke, the ref issued her a green card and her stroke was void. This was a great learning experience for the girls to also make sure that they are properly equipped.


If you were able to come and watch the game, you could see that this game was a great help in preparation for the rest of our season! Our next game will be this Friday at Harborfields at 4pm vs. Centereach.

Animal House!

Go Tornadoes!

And we start with a W!

Today the Tornadoes played in their first home game against Bayport Bluepoint in a nail biting game! After a heat advisory, which requires the girls to have a mandatory water break after 15 minutes, a game delay due to thunder and lightening, 7v7 overtime, strokes and then sudden death strokes, the girls came out with a W! Senior Katie DeNicola recorded her first goal of the season when she scored on a penalty stroke. Chandler Banks had 8 saves overall and had a diving save that helped HF clench the win! The HFFH team faced many struggles whether it was mother nature, bad calls or aggressive opponents. But the job was done!


To the parents and the spectators who came to the game, thank you for the support! It was great to see so many fans cheering the girls on!


Our next match is on Monday Sept 10 against Half Hollow Hills West (scrimmage), Friday Sept 14 against Centereach and Saturday when we play Class C and Suffolk County Small school Champions Sayville.

And so it begins!

To all of the parents ... Welcome to the HFFH blog! Since last year I have tried my best to put up posts and updates about the sport, our games and our players and I continue to do it this year! It was really nice to see a lot of familiar faces and I would all love to get to know you all so please make sure to say hi!


Preseason is officially over and tomorrow we have our first match against Bayport-Bluepoint!!! We still cannot believe that the season is already in full effect! To the parents and all fans, we hope to see you there!!! Our game is at 4pm at Harborfields and it is suppose to be a bright sunny ( and yes hot) day!!


To the girls: As we have reiterated to all of you, both coach and I are extremely proud of how hard each and everyone of you has been working. If you all continue to play the way you have, then you will succeed!
So make sure tonight you rest up and get yourselves mentally ready!


And go tornadoes!!!