Skylar Gilman is the Longstreth Player of the Week after tallying multiple goals and assists last week for the 11-0-1 Archbishop Spalding field hockey team out of Severn, Maryland. Skylar is currently a Top 50 Senior in the United States, per the rankings of MAX Field Hockey. Her primary position is forward, a testament to her impressive goal-scoring abilities and skills in the circle. Skylar has prioritized fundamentals and basics, like shooting and ball control, in her training, to which she credits this talent of capitalizing on opportunities in the circle.
She scored a hat trick on September 30 against Our Lady of Good Counsel in a 6-1 Spalding victory. Then, on Wednesday, led her team to another big win over Notre Dame Prep with 2 goals on the 3-1 scoreline. The following day, Archbishop Spalding was on the right side of a 3-1 score once again versus Maryvale Prep, courtesy of an assist from Gilman. Archbishop Spalding is 4-0 in the IAAM “A” Conference, with just two of those league games remaining, against Mount de Sales and Garrison Forest School, with whom they are currently tied for the “A” Conference lead. In fact, Spalding has concluded their regular season play at home and will travel to St. Mary’s on October 14 before playing those final two conference games on the road. For the remainder of the season, the goal of the Archbishop Spalding field hockey team is to finish on top in the IAAM championship, staying diligent with their skills and fitness. According to Gilman, in preparation for the rest of the regular season and the post-season, she and her teammates are working on their pressing and outletting skills and continuing to work on weekly active recovery so their “bodies stay healthy as a team on and off the field.”
Specifically for Skylar, though, she has plans to remain in Maryland yet continue to play field hockey at an extremely high level at the University of Maryland next year, hopefully after achieving her personal and team goals with Spalding this fall 2024.
