The old saying goes “defense wins championships.” Although the Allegheny field hockey team will miss out on the playoffs this year, a silver lining in their defense has been Meredythe Baird, ’24, who has a chance to break the single-season saves record in program history.
“I want to show up and be the best version of myself,” Baird said. “It would mean a lot to me.”
Baird currently sits at 71 saves on the year. The number to beat is 90, held by former three-year starter Hallie Reiger, ’23, who broke the record in 2021. With three games to go, the achievement is up in the air — but with the way Baird has defended the net this year, it is certainly a possibility.
Whether or not Baird surpasses the single-season record, she is still well on pace to beat the single-season saves per-game record. The 2021 Gators field hockey team played three more games than the current regime will endure. However, Baird’s current 5.46 saves per game is the best by over half a goal for any previous Allegheny goalkeeper.
Despite how well she has played, Baird is still searching for more.
“There is always something to improve on,” Baird said. “I think being comfortable is when you become stagnant. I’m constantly posed with ‘How can I be doing better?’”
The opportunity for playing time was slim for Baird until this year. It was tough to earn minutes while playing behind Reiger, the 2022 North Coast Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and First Team All-Conference player. This, along with studying abroad in Spain a season ago, made it so Baird had to hone her craft throughout the offseason to prove she was the best option for Allegheny. After the way this year has gone, there is no doubt that Head Coach Lauren Thomas made the right decision on who should guard the net.
“I am a large proponent of you practicing how you play,” Baird said. “The goal of practice is to get better.”
While keeping the ball out of the net is the number one priority, there are many other intricacies that Baird has to subdue in her role. Communication is a big one.
Baird has spent a lot of time working with Assistant Coach Allyson Osborne. The two have combined like-minded encephalons and determined that the goalie is in a game of chess. By seeing everything develop ahead of her, Baird has the ability to predict what will happen before it does, and she has to put her teammates in the best possible position to succeed.
Her back-line defender may see a pass coming to her. What she may not see that Baird does is the three attackers of the opposition coming to press the pass and pressure the last wall before the net. Baird also has eyes on the spacing of the field, and can direct the moving pieces to stopping a breakaway or rallying to the ball.
“I’m always trying to think of staying three steps ahead,” Baird said.
Although the season has not panned out as expected, there have still been memorable moments that Baird is fond of — her favorite moment being the comeback win versus Washington and Jefferson in overtime.
The 4-3 finale featured a come from behind thriller in what could be deemed as the Gators best win of the year. They fell behind 2-0 early, and scored right before halftime. Another goal surrendered in the third quarter seemed like the nail in the coffin for an offense that has struggled to finish.
With time running out, Allegheny rose from their ruins and found the back of the net twice in the final 14 minutes. The clashing of these two foes gave the fans extra minutes, and just over halfway through overtime Emily Robles, ’26, punched in the Gators ticket to victory with a game-sealing strike.
“It was a team effort,” Baird said. “When we finally scored in overtime, I was ready to tear up and just cry.”
Allegheny will hope to string more quality substance together with three games to go in the season. Their next task is taking down the Kenyon Lords, with the opening pass scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21 at noon. The Gators look to play spoiler and deny the playoff hopes of their opponents.
