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BHS field hockey falls 1-0

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Saturday September 22, 2001

Growing team still looking for first win 

The Berkeley High girls’ field hockey team was unable to find the goal against University High (San Francisco) on Friday, losing 1-0. The loss dropped the ’Jackets to 0-1-1 on the season. 

University put their lone point on the board late in the first half. Berkeley didn’t display much offense until the final minutes of the game, but put a lot of pressure on the Red Devils until the final whistle. 

Field hockey is an emerging sport at Berkeley High, with 38 girls on the varsity and junior varsity levels, a new high for the team. Berkeley Athletic Director Robert Traum said he has tried to help the sport come to an even level with football as a fall sport. 

“In the past, football has dominated the fall,” Traum said. “We want to encourage the other sports to step up.” 

In the past, field hockey has had second-class citizenship when it came to getting practice time on the Berkeley High field. But that changed this season, according to head coach Amy Meehan. 

“We sat down with the football coaches in the spring to work out the schedule, and it’s been perfect so far,” Meehan said. 

With very few schools in Northern California fielding teams, it has been hard in the past for Berkeley to find enough games to fill the schedule. The ’Jackets will face just four different teams this season, but next season will be a different story as they join the Blossom Valley Athletic League, based in San Jose. 

Another obstacle for Meehan, who played at University of Pennsylvania, and her assistants is the fact that no Bay Area middle schools have field hockey teams. That means every player Meehan gets is a novice at the sport and must be taught the rules as well as learning to play the game. 

This is Meehan’s second season coaching at Berkeley, so she does have a few players back with whom she is familiar. Last year, she didn’t start coaching until mid-season, which presented some problems with scheduling and practices, as Meehan was playing catch-up in addition to teaching the game to new players. 

“It’s much more organized this year, so that offsets having more girls to coach,” she said. 

The ’Jackets next face Los Altos on Tuesday. The varsity game will be at 5:30 p.m. on the Berkeley High field.