By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

At the start of the season, Springbrook sophomore field hockey goalie Ashley Stennett told Coach Kearney Francis she stunk at blocking strokes.

One thing is for sure: Stennett does not stink at strokes.

Stennett saved three strokes and another hit the post as Springbrook defeated Whitman, 2-0 in strokes, Thursday afternoon in Colesville. It is the second straight game she has faced strokes. She stopped four of them in a win over Magruder in the 4A West region semifinals just two days earlier.

Springbrook will now face the 4A East winner, either defending state champion Severna Park or Broadneck in the state semifinals on Wednesday.

“I pretty much sit myself down and tell myself to throw everything at the ball,” Stennett said. “Nothing gets behind me.”

That’s not the tone Francis had in the beginning of the year. Francis didn’t make much of it until Stennett said she stunk again on Oct. 14 when Springbrook went to strokes against Poolesville.
    
“I told her, ‘If we’re in strokes, that means your teammates have run for 80 minutes,’” Francis said. “’You can’t say, ‘I stink at strokes.’”

Ever since 2001, when Francis’ team was eliminated from the playoffs in strokes, Springbrook practices strokes for about five minutes at the end of nearly every practice.

“We’ve done strokes a lot just practicing so we’ve kind of got the gist of staying focused during such an intense time,” said junior Ebony Turner, who was one of two shooters to sink her shot. “So it’s kind of easy for us to stay focused.”

Stennett said though that it doesn’t matter how many times you go through strokes, it’s still gut-wrenching.

“They’re everywhere,” Stennett said of her nerves before the first shot. “I don’t even know. It’s just really nerve-wracking.”

Springbrook (13-1-1) took the first stroke. But Rachel Browning’s shot was saved by Whitman goalkeeper Hillary Wall. Whitman’s Jennifer Kay hit the post with her shot before Turner buried hers, putting the Blue Devils up 1-0.

Stennett blocked Molly Finley’s shot and Wall saved Mirielle Encarnacion’s stroke. Up stepped Whitman’s Maya Herm, who took an above-average time to get ready to strike the ball. Stennett stopped Herm’s shot with a dive to her left. Springbrook’s Danielle Afram nailed her shot into the goal for a 2-0 Springbrook advantage.

Stennett blocked Stephanie Dorman’s shot, ending the game and sending Springbrook’s players and fans running towards her.

“She’s so calm, so calm and relaxed,” Turner said of Stennett.

If she only knew what those nerves were like behind the mask.