Picture by Julia Kaczynska

“I fell in love with Field Hockey when I was younger watching my older sister play, ever since watching her I knew that’s what I wanted to do”

Delaney started out playing defense during youth field hockey. Her older sister, Maddison O’Brien, who is a couple years older than her, tried goalie for the first time and loved it. As soon as Delaney got the chance to try it, she just jumped into the pads. Ever since then she has been working hard to get better every day.

“My favorite part of the sport would probably be the satisfaction of clearing the ball from the circle so that our midfield and forwards can get the ball” Delaney also mentioned how the sport is even better with teammates. “They make the whole experience so fun” Her teammates also love having her as goalie. Julia says, “We would not have won any games last year if it were not for Delaney.”

Being a goalie is not always as great as it seems. There are days that she does better than others and she is hard on herself. Delaney works hard in and out of practice, during drills, and training to get better. “Some days I feel like I’m doing great, and others feel like I’ve never touched a ball before”

Field hockey is definitely a physically hard sport, but it is super mentally challenging as well. The goalie is the last person to see the ball before it goes in the net, and oftentimes, blame themselves for it going in. Although it is the goalies job to keep the ball out, it is not always their fault. Many factors could lead up to the other team scoring. Even through all of this, Delaney is able to push all of these mental things to the side and play her part in the game.

Believe it or not but Delaney is not the last goalie of the O’Brien sisters. Their youngest sister, Cameyrn O’Brien is following in her older sister’s footsteps. After showing up to countless games to support, she saw how much her older sisters enjoyed playing and tried it out too. What started out as just being on the sidelines has now turned into her playing for herself. She’s seen them through all the wins and losses and how much the sport means to them. Even though she is not in high school yet, as she continues to play field hockey, she will always have two great role models to look up to.

Picture by Julia Kaczynska