BELCHERTOWN — Greenfield field hockey head coach Erin Thayer spent a lot of her team’s game against Belchertown shaking her head.

The Green Wave may not have put forth their best effort on the road Tuesday afternoon, but they did just enough to squeak out a 1-0 win over the Orioles.

“Hey, a win is a win no matter how ugly it is,” Thayer said. “I’ll take a win however we can get it, but we’ve got a lot to work on.”

The first half was even, as both teams generated solid scoring opportunities. Neither Greenfield or Belchertown were able to score in the opening two quarters, but the Green Wave broke through late in the third. Greenfield lined up for a penalty corner and had its initial shot cleared out. Junior Riley Thayer sent it back in, and the ball found freshman Amelia Bouchard, who was waiting at the post. Bouchard cashed in on the point-blank chance to give the Green Wave a 1-0 lead, which ultimately ended up being the difference maker.

“The initial shot went out, we hit it back in, and Amelia was at the post,” Thayer said. “She put it over the line and got us the goal.”

Senior goaltender Ainslee Flynn was remarkable between the pipes for Greenfield. Flynn was instinctive with her decision making and made several clutch saves to preserve the Green Wave lead in the third and fourth quarters.

“If I didn’t have her back there, I don’t even know what we’d do,” Thayer said of Flynn. “She saves our butts more times than not, and she’s amazing. I think she’s the best goalie in western Mass.”

As is the case in any sport, communication among teammates is one of the most important things in field hockey. Whether it’s letting a teammate know where to go with the ball, telling them a defender is near, or helping one another get into the correct position on defense, chatter is necessary for a team to play a cohesive game of field hockey.

Greenfield clearly lacked communication on Tuesday, and Thayer said she was displeased with that aspect of her team’s performance.

“They have to open their mouths and communicate with each other where they are,” Thayer said. “Communication is everything in anything in life, but especially on a field, working together – they have to be able to communicate to know who’s where and where the passes need to go. We struggled with that today, I don’t know why.”

It could be because the Green Wave have one of the younger teams Thayer has had during her time at Greenfield. Their roster consists of only two seniors and one junior – everybody else is either a sophomore, freshmen, or eighth grader.

“I saw our inexperience and youth completely show today,” Thayer said. “We struggled to do a lot of things that we’ve been working on in practice. And it was completely obvious nobody was working together. You can’t be a team if you don’t work together.”

Similarly, Belchertown also dealt with roster turnover from the previous year. The Orioles moved on from 100-point scorer Abigail Olden as well as their veteran goalie Eliza Rothstein. With first-year head coach Dina Brunetti taking over, Belchertown is still putting pieces of its puzzle together in the early going of 2023 – but goalkeeper is not one of those pieces. Senior Brooke Stelmokas has filled Rothstein’s shoes, and her eight saves on Tuesday were a huge reason the Orioles stayed in the game.

“We lost a 100-point scorer and our goalie last season, but we have a goalie (Stelmokas) that stepped up this year. She’s a senior, but it is her first year starting,” Brunetti said. “She has a lot of talent that she showed today. And we’ve got some sophomores and a starting freshman out here, too. This year, I think the girls have to know that we’re not relying on that one girl who got all those points last year. They gotta know that it’s their turn to put those points up.”

All things considered (young team, new core, new coach), and with it being only the Orioles’ second game, Brunetti applauded her side’s efforts.

“We have a really young team, but I think we’ve played really well,” Brunetti said. “We knew Greenfield is a really good team, and we knew it was gonna be a hard battle, so I’m happy with 1-0.”

Brunetti knows Belchertown (1-1) has plenty to improve on as the season progresses, starting with taking more shots on goal, and the Orioles will get a chance to do just that on Thursday as they host Amherst under the lights at 7 p.m.

“Shooting the damn ball,” Brunetti said with a laugh, referring to what she wants to see from her team going forward. “Staying low, sticks down, and firing. And not being afraid to. Also creating space, and cutting away from the player marking you.”

Greenfield (2-0) hopes to be headed toward another terrific season – which has been the case in recent history. The Green Wave host Holyoke on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ready to learn from Tuesday’s win over Belchertown. Thayer has only one goal in mind with her young bunch.

“That we can improve every single day,” Thayer said. “Just get better one step at a time.”