Athlete of the Week: Sophie Larivee

NORTH EASTHAM – As the Nauset field hockey team surges, junior Sophie Larivee keeps filling up the stats sheet.

In recent games, Larivee scored once and assisted the other goal in a 2-1 win against Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 21, scored twice in a huge 3-2 win over Dennis-Yarmouth on Sept. 23 and scored once in a 5-0 win versus Nantucket on Sept. 29.

In both scoring plenty while also racking up several assists, Larivee credited communication with her teammates at the forward positions. 

As they walk out at the start of each quarter, they frequently indicate to each other things they think they see and could do on the field.

“I think we all work really well together, trying to put it in the back of the net,” Larivee said. “We're very aggressive with rebounds. Once we get in the circle, I think we're good at doing our best to get those scoring opportunities.”

Larivee has made a major impact to the front line for the Warriors, according to head coach Tia Raspante. She possesses a host of skills and techniques that have elevated Nauset’s attack and added a new dimension with other players.

“I think that finally having her and them working together has really meshed well,” Raspante said.

At the beginning of the season, Larivee actually started in a midfield role — that is, until Raspante saw how frequently Larivee was finding and getting opportunities to score. Then, she pushed Larivee up the field.

Larivee’s varied mix of field hockey skills even influences the other end of the field for Nauset, too. She fields a position in Nauset’s defensive penalty corner lineup.

“You want to set your team up with the most success,” Raspante said. “Your number’s down anyway in [defensive penalty corners], so you want to have the people that are lowest to the ground who have that skill to get the ball out when needed.”