Our Athlete of the Month for the month of October is Victoria Lema.  Tia plays for the Ossining Varsity Field Hockey Team and has been performing at an extremely high level so far this season.  She is the main scorer for the team as of now and she has scored in every game so far. Tia had 1 goal and 2 assists against Nyack, 1 goal against Harrison, 1 goal against Ursuline, 1 goal and 1 assist against North Rockland, 2 goals against Croton, and 1 goal and 1 assist against Hastings.  The Field Hockey Team has already won five games and they have only lost three in large part of Tia’s exceptional performances as of late.

When asked to give a short summary of her field hockey career, Tia replied, “I first began playing field hockey in the 7th grade.  I played on the junior varsity team during my 8th grade and freshman year. I finally got pulled up to play for varsity my sophomore year and I now serve as team captain for my senior year of field hockey.  I’ve played quite a few positions throughout my years; I initially played right midfield for a good chunk of my middle and high school years, but I switched to both right and center forward my junior and senior year as my coach felt that’s where I showed the most potential.  I currently have the most goals scored on my team, which makes me happy because I want to help my team win in any way possible. I have only played for the Ossining Field Hockey programs, but I did do several field hockey camps over the summer which were organized by college coaches.” 

Tia’s response to describing her high school career in one sentence– “My high school career has been unforgettable, the opportunity to make memories with and play with the same group of friends over four years will stick with me forever.”

When questioned if she would continue playing field hockey after high school, she answered, “If the opportunity where I could play field hockey in college was presented, I definitely would take that offer.  If I were to be recruited, I would put my school work first as I already do here in high school. If I can maintain good grades and still play for a college team, I would be very happy.”

To conclude the interview, Tia was asked the goals are for her team for the remainder of the season– “I hope that by the end of our season, the team has a winning record and some momentum going into sectionals.  We have been working together since freshman year to create a solid team and a new identity for the field hockey program in Ossining. There is still work to do, but hopefully we can win a game or two in sectionals.”

Overshadowed by Girls’ Volleyball and Girls’ Basketball, the Girls’ Field Hockey Team is looking to make a name for themselves as well.  If Tia keeps up the phenomenal play, the team will have a great chance at making a run in their Section Playoffs coming up later in the following weeks.