At the end of the 2023 Field Hockey season, freshman Fiona Black picked up a field hockey stick for the first time. She was a star for the girls’ ice hockey team in her debut season, scoring her biggest goal during the Round of 32. Black’s older sister had been playing field hockey since middle school, but didn’t pick the sport up herself. When Gloucester graduated their entire starting lineup last fall, the gate opened for a new group of starters. Black was invited to play with Gloucester during the winter, marking her first time playing field hockey competitively. Only 7 months later, she’s leading the Fishermen in goals and ranks in the top five for assists.
In the Fishermen’s win over the Saugus Sachems, Black got her first hat trick of the Varsity career. Julia Palk, Olivia Madruga, and Mia Rodolosi scored the other three goals of the game. Assists went to Maddie Jewell, Eliana Parsons, Talia Harrington, Rodolosi, Black and Palk.
It didn’t take long for Black to get Gloucester on the leaderboard, scoring eight minutes within the opening frame. Jewell collected an Emma Carrapichosa rebound, shooting the ball up into Saugus’ goalie. Black collected the ricochet and shot around the goalie.
Black stuck again a few minutes later assisted by freshman Rodolosi. Rodolosi ran into the circle and took a well-struck shot at Saugus’ goalie. Black collected the rebound and had her initial shot deflected before she backhanded the ball in for her second goal of the day.
Black was the next Fisherman to score, cementing her hat trick in the 2nd quarter. Harrington took the initial shot, but collected her pass and shot across the net for Black to score. Before the end of the half, Palk flicked the ball past the Saugus goalie after Madruga placed a perfect pass through a defender’s legs.
The Fishermen scored two more times before the end of the game, thanks to Madruga and Rodolosi. Madruga had a sure smash after a pass from Julia Palk at the corner and Rodolosi notched her first goal after she intercepted a Saugus pass and lifted the ball over the goalie’s stick.
The forward line showed its true dominance in this matchup, controlling Saugus’ defensive zone for most of the game. When the ball was on Gloucester’s defensive side, Captain Keagan Jewell easily deflected the ball away from the net.
“I’m happy I got a hat trick, ” Black said in a post-game interview. “I’m kind of surprised I got it this early in the season. I’m proud of how I played [in] these past few games because I didn’t expect this well of a result since I’ve never played before.”
Black has had an exceptional debut season, leading the team with 5 goals across six games. Ranked 3rd for assists, she is positioned second in points, behind Madruga (7). Despite her green, she has been reliable for the young Fishermen in the opening frame of the season.
The Fishermen’s next game is at home on September 20th. With a .500 record, they face the Peabody Tanners at 4:30.
