Rice field hockey debuts school's new turf field in style

SOUTH BURLINGTON - Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 will always be a historic day for Rice Memorial High School as the school officially unveiled its artificial turf field.

All of the fall outdoor sports teams took part in the special dedication ceremony gathering on the turf. Principal Andrew Nagy addressed the athletes and the large crowd and Bishop of Burlington John McDermott blessed the turf before a ribbon cutting and the inaugural game.

The first team who earned the honor of debuting the turf was the field hockey team. Green Knights head coach Kelly McClintock has waited a long time for turf, which gives her team a smoother and faster playing surface and a regulation-sized field.

"It was a huge honor," McClintock said. "We talked to the team the day before about how this is a big moment for us, a female sports team, getting the platform that we want to show how powerful we can be on the field."

The team did just that. Rice ushered in the new era by securing the first home win on turf with a 4-0 shutout win over Essex at John P. Larkin Turf at Bill Landers Field.

The Green Knights dominated possession early in the game and broke through seven minutes into the game. On Rice's first penalty corner of the game, star forward Violet Clough took the shot, sneaking the ball in just inside the left pipe for the first point scored. Rice never looked back from there.

More: 14 breakout performers of the 2024 Vermont high school football season

The Green Knights' penalty corners were sharp finding holes in Essex's defensive unit. Kate Larkin scored the next two goals off corners in a one-minute span early in the second quarter. Both times Rice just did not settle for a point-blank shot from the top of the circle. Instead, Rice dished out some passes trying to find an even better look. Larkin moved closer to the net and corralled the ball and snuck it around Essex's goalie Sophie Krauss.

"We also re-adjusted them so we have somebody going to (the goalie's) pads and intercepting that shot before the goalie gets there," Larkin said. "That's what got my two goals in."

The Green Knights held a 3-0 lead at halftime while shutting an Essex team down that came into the contest with some momentum having gone 2-0-1 over the past three games. Clough added her second goal of the game in the final two minutes to cap off the day for Rice Athletics.

"We are just so happy that we could have this opportunity and that this facility is at Rice now," Larkin said. "It's a really great resource and really elevates our game so we are excited for this new era of our sport and our school."

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com . Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ Judith_Altneu .

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Rice field hockey debuts school's new turf field in style