Attitude is everything for Gardiner field hockey, and what else we learned at Tuesday’s practice

Gardiner field hockey coach Jess Merrill, center, talks to her team during practice on Tuesday in Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

Day 2 of preseason practices, when the newness of the season is starting to dwindle and any initial appreciation for conditioning drills is probably gone. The regular season seems so far away.

Tuesday was the second day of fall practices, and Varsity Maine checked in on the Poland and Gardiner field hockey and Windham girls soccer teams. Here is what we learned from Gardiner’s practice:

ATTITUDE THE ‘BIGGEST THING’

Attitude is everything for the Tigers, who went 12-4 last year and reached the Class B South semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Belfast. Jess Merrill — now in her third year as the head coach of the Gardiner program — is instilling in her team that maintaining a positive attitude, through good times and bad, is crucial to a successful season.

“That’s the biggest thing, because mistakes, errors happen on the field all the time,” Merrill said. “It’s how you react to them that is everything. The way we communicate with each other is everything. Trying to get those girls to constantly stay in that positive mindset when it’s not going for them, because it’s not always going to go well for us on the field. … It’s a big (key) that we can do better from last year. It’s been a huge key for us this preseason.”

YOUNGSTERS STEPPING IN

• The Tigers boast 24 players this fall, a rise from 17 last year. They graduated two key pieces in Gabi Sousa — who now plays for the University of Maine — and Taryn Nichols. Gardiner carries eight seniors this season, led by captains Macy Hickey, Brynnlea Chaisson and Avrey MacMaster, but a key, Merrill said, will be how quick the younger players acclimate to varsity play.

“We’ve been playing all summer, so they’ve had an opportunity to learn what we do and the language that we use,” Merrill said. “The upperclassmen have been great, taking them under their wing, helping show them different ways (of doing things), because (young players) are kind of deer in the headlights. They’ve come in asking questions, jumping right in and showing no fear, which is super exciting.”