On Oct. 17 at 6:00 p.m., Hillsborough Raiders Field Hockey introduced a group of 12 dedicated, hardworking seniors for the pre-game Senior Night Ceremony. The Raiders hosted the 1-13-1 Watchung Hills Warriors in a county and conference matchup. 

Senior Night is always a big tradition for Field Hockey. Before the game, the younger players of the program are responsible for decorating an assigned seniors locker, creating posters, and decorating the hallway to make a memorable night for the seniors. 

Senior Night is meant to celebrate every senior, so it is tradition to start all seniors on the field at the first half. However, with 12 seniors there was a dilemma: only 11 players could start the game. At first, it was proposed that one senior would have to sit on the bench while the other 11 would start on the field. After much conflict and discussion, the three senior captains, Payton Altman, Jena Myers, and Kylie Glinsky, all volunteered to sit out at the start of the game together so that there would not be only one senior left on the sidelines. This resulted in Juniors Melissa Tucker and Jenn Koval starting along with the other 9 seniors on the field. 

“We wanted all of the other seniors to be able to start on their Senior Night because everyone has worked so hard this season,” Glinsky said. “We thought going out together instead of one person sitting out would show unity and leadership.”

Despite Watchung Hills’ abysmal record, the Warriors played the Raiders tough. The Raiders went up 2-1 at halftime with goals from seniors Altman and Katie Kozimbo. In the second half, Watchung tied it up at 2-2 with a goal. However, Altman responded quickly with her second goal, giving the Raiders a 3-2 lead. Despite another comeback attempt from Watchung Hills, the Raiders would hang on for the victory to improve to 8-11.

“Playing field hockey has given me a sense of family within the team and brought me closer to people that I probably never would have been friends with,” senior Cassidy Scillitani said. “It gave me something to look forward to at the start of the school year.”

For this group of seniors, the sense of family that Scillitani described will be vital as they look to continue their state playoff run on Oct. 23 versus East Brunswick.