CANASTOTA -- "Don't be afraid to switch...make sure you have a lot of you know what it's like without subs, talk to your friends, get them here - peer pressure're not in shape yet...I wan't you to score, girlfriend...stay with it...don't stand there and look at it, follow...good job, get on that..."

The 21st year of Canastota's summer field hockey league sounded a lot like the previous 20. Monday night saw nine teams taking part in what has become a summer ritual for kids from Sherburne-Earlville to Cazenovia to Oneida and most towns in between that have the sport. Coaches like Canastota's Marcia Laidlaw, Morrisville-Eaton's Patti Vaughan and Kadi New and S-E's Sheila Cooman encouraged kids with words like the aforementioned and more all evening until Marge Morgan, Van Swearingen and Jen Follett blew the final whistle on each of the three fields used for a series of games that began at 5:30 p.m.

"It's very low-key," Cooman said. "I can bring the young girls here. It's not all about winning and losing."

The league started in 1990 at the Town of DeWitt's Maxwell Park in East Syracuse. It shifted to Canastota the next year and Laidlaw oversaw it until she retired from coaching and teaching. With Trish Micaroni stepping down this year, Laidlaw was lured back for another go around and she was kept busy overseeing all the games while encouraging Canastota's kids.

"She does a great job," Vaughan, Section III's winningest field hockey coach, said. "I've been here all 22 years. I like this. The leagues in Rome and Camden are too far."

"I feel loyalty to here," Cooman said. "It's an opportunity for kids to play and it's a model of consistency."

Cazenovia's varsity team was last fall's model of consistency. The Lakers won the school's first state title. With a crop of new faces, coach Lorraine Scheftic was back on the sidelines. It was more of the same as Cazenovia beat Canastota JV 3-0 and Oneida JV 7-0. Colleen Stalder had a hat trick in the Oneida game while Rachel McLoughlin and Danielle Nelson had two goals apiece for the night to help fuel the attack.

Maggie Burlison had a hat trick in S-E's 4-3 win against Canastota V as did Kissandra Blasier in Canastota V's 5-5 tie with Hamilton.

Hamilton: Jessica Welsh 2, Coral Dennis 2, Maddy Lamal-Brown 1.

Canastota V: Kissandra Blasier 3, Felicia Vaccaro 1, Morgan Bernier 1.

Cazenovia: Colleen Stalder 3, Rachel McLoughlin 2, Maria Stalder 1, Josie Chiarello 1.

Oneida JV 0.

Oneida V: Breanna Wean 2.

S-E: 0.

Canastota V: Kissandra Blasier 2, Felicia Vaccaro 1.

S-E: Maggie Burlison 3, Alyssa Palmer 1.

Cazenovia: Colleen Stalder 1, Danielle Nelson 2.

Canastota JV: 0.

M-E V: Kate Verne 2, Amber Smalley 1, Haley Brown 1.

Hamilton: Jessica Welsh 1.

M-E JV: Lacy Westcott 2, Loren Kellum 1, Brandy Streeter 3.

Canastota JV: 0.

M-E V: Kate Verne 1, Shelby Widger 1, Amber Smalley 2, Haley Brown 1.

Oneida: 0.

M-E JV: Lacy Westcott 1, Katherine Parkhurst 4, Natalie Diable 1.

Oneida JV: 0.

Final scores

5:30 - Caz 3, Canastota JV 0; Canastota V 5, Hamilton 5; M-E V 5, Oneida 0

6:00 - M-E JV 4, Oneida JV 0; S-E 4, Canastota V 3; M-E V 4, Hamilton 1

6:30 - M-E JV 6, Canastota JV 0; Caz 7, Oneida JV 0; Oneida 2, S-E 0