Peglegs Look Strong Midseason

Two players position themselves at the center of the field. Their sticks line up parallel to each other as they crouch low to the ground, preparing for the face-off. The athlete on the right, junior Terrence Jiang, glares at the Lehman Campus player opposite him. The referee blows his whistle. Jiang wins control of the ball and swipes it to his teammate, senior Brandon Lee. Lee picks up the ground ball and heads for the Lehman goal. The Stuyvesant Peglegs go on to win their game against Lehman with a final score of 9-0.

Under the guidance of head coach Di Wu, the team has implemented a new playing technique that is relatively uncommon in high school leagues. This is what they call their fourth pole substitution strategy—having 4 defensive pole-carrying players (d-poles) on the field at all times and substituting out with offensive players. “The constant subbing of the midfield works really well for keeping the attackmen off the midfield and therefore keeping them fresh so they can face d-poles, which was a problem last year because we always had to switch middies with attackmen,” senior and co-captain Dima Hvirtsman said. While the subbing means less playing time for some of their more experienced players, it also gives more opportunities on the field to younger players.

Rookies such as senior Rigneyla Akhotsang (d-pole) have been a strong force against opposing teams’ attackmen. In addition, a number of returning players have showcased improved abilities across the pitch: senior and co-captain Sam Brimberg is giving up the least number of goals in their division as starting goalie, Jiang is consistently winning faceoffs, and senior and co-captain Giorgio Vidali is leading the d-poles.

Despite the stout defense, the Peglegs still have holes in their game. “Our offense still needs work. While we may be one of the best defensive squads in the league, we generally don't score that much,” assistant coach and Stuyvesant-alum Andrey Ligayi (‘16) said. “Our players just need to be more comfortable with the ball in their sticks as ball-carriers, make sharper passes, and move more and more off-ball.”

The team has talented pieces on the offensive front, including junior Rubin Peci, junior Vian Shekhtman, Hvirtsman, and Lee, and they are working hard in practice to find new ways to score. “We've taken some college plays and reworked them to work for our team, and this year we introduced two new formations, the 2-2-2 and the 1-4-1, with plays for each that we would call out,” Peci said. These new formations on the field have led to improvement on offense and will hopefully only continue to bolster the offensive front.

The Peglegs have won four out of their seven games so far, and with only three games remaining in their season, they begin to look toward the playoffs. “I think the PSAL has done a great job with balancing this division, and a lot of teams will fight for those final playoff berths. Ultimately, we'll have to fight to clinch a playoff seed, and we're ready for the challenge,” Ligayi said.