SAUGUS – Saugus High School senior field hockey goalie Gabrielle Surrette is the Moynihan Female Athlete of the Month for November, 2020.
For Gabby, getting to play at all in her 2020 field hockey season was a bit of a surprise. considering the state of affairs in the town of Saugus with regard to COVID-19.
“Considering the fact that we were in the red for most of the season and were doing remote learning, a lot of us weren’t sure we were even going to be able to play this year,” said Gabby, who has been a four-year goalie for the Sachems. “We were surprised when we got the go-ahead, and we really tried to take advantage of our chance to play.”
A two-time team captain in field hockey, Gabby certainly took advantage of her playing time, logging an impressive 25-plus saves per game. “If it wasn’t for Gabby, the scores against us would have been much higher,” said Saugus field hockey coach Barbara Guarente. “Not only is she one of the area’s best performing goalies, she’s also highly respected by our opponents, officials and her teammates.”
If you think Gabby takes her time on the field seriously, just ask her about her schoolwork and her grades.
“I take schoolwork the most seriously out of everything,” she said. “Balancing my schoolwork and sports has always been something I’ve had to do, and this year was definitely a challenge because of dealing with things like college applications on top of everything.”
But Gabby has made it over that hump, getting accepted to a number of colleges as her field hockey season came to a close. Now, it’s time to sit back, choose her next step and potentially prepare to play softball for the Sachems in the spring
“It’s definitely an honor to be chosen for an award like this, especially after I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to play this fall,” she acknowledged. “It’s nice to be recognized for the hard work that went into this season.”
Podcast: Gabby Surrette interview with Tim Kearns and Rick Moore on North Shore Sports Night