April 14, 2023 – Story and photos by Joshua Ross
Head Coach Carla Farkes will be the first to tell you this isn’t last year’s team. With eight seniors graduating, including three playing in Division 1 programs, she knew this year would be different.
Out of the gate they’ve put together a 4-2 record and are getting better each game, despite the fact they lost one of their top scorers, sophomore Grace Maroney, for a majority of the season due to injury. She scored seven goals in the win vs Quincy before going out early in the following game vs Norwell.
“We’re young and we’re still trying to figure things out,” Farkes said after Hingham’s 10-6 win over Scituate Thursday. “We graduated a lot of seniors, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I think we are starting to come together. We’re getting there. Each day we’re trying to get better as a group and individually. We are going to use April vacation to get some more practice in and face two tough opponents.”
Even with the season just getting underway, Farkes said there are good examples to be encouraged about going into the heart of the schedule.
“Lily Samoska, our junior captain goalie has really stepped up into a leadership position,” Farkes went on to say. “Same thing with (senior captain) Morgan (Beighley) in the back. So I think they are doing a really good job trying to quarterback the defense. Caroline (Connolly) and Abbey Kennedy are doing a really nice job on the draw. We have a lot of new faces on the attack and it depends on the day and we are just trying to figure it out as we go.”
The loss of Maroney will have an impact on the team offensive, but Farkes likes the opportunity it presents to other players.
“Grace is a really good player,” Farkes explains. “She’s good on the draw. She’s great defensively and she scores a lot of goals. That’s tough but we’ve got plenty of other kids that are capable and we will just have to score goals by committee and everyone will chip in.”
And so far they have. So far Kennedy, juniors Madeline Packard and Stella Brazis, and sophomores Neely Sgobbo, Haylen Wilson, and Addy Garrity have all contributed to the scoring over the past few games.
“They’re young, they’re enthusiastic, and they work hard,” answered coach when asked about the character of the team. “We just have to keep building and getting better each day and retaining that information. They work hard and are a fun group. We have a competitive schedule so we have to buckle down and stay focus.”
A lot to look forward to with this team this year and seasons to come.
GAME PHOTOS
