Anastasia Lukasheva leads varsity field hockey to victory
Anastasia Lukasheva prepares a pass for a teammate
As Eastern’s varsity field hockey team takes the field, a single freshman trails behind. The players tower over her, but her small size will mislead you. She might be small compared to the girls next to her, but when she has the ball, you’d better watch your back.
The whistle blows and the second half starts. The girls yell to one another “through!” and the ball is quickly passed. The whistle blows as the ball hits the back of the goal. The scoreboard changes to 12-0 as the girls praise their teammates.
Eastern’s field hockey team has been undefeated for 18 straight years. Anastasia Lukasheva is the only freshman that plays at the varsity level when it comes to field hockey. She plays midfield and wears the number 4 proudly on her back.
Anastasia has been playing field hockey since 5th grade, previously playing soccer, lacrosse, and doing ballet.. As she said, “I tried to play soccer for a while, but it just wasn’t my sport. As soon as I started playing field hockey, something just clicked. I just loved being on the field.”
When she’s not on the field, she enjoys the subject of math because she likes improving, and using her previous mistakes to enhance her skills. She said it was hard keeping up with her grades and sports at first, but getting adapted and organized helped.
When she has a break from giving it her all on the field, she likes to read science fiction. “Opening a book gives me a break from whatever is happening in my life and I love that.” She hopes to one day complete college at Cornell, because of its excellence in the engineering field.
“Playing in the varsity games is a learning experience because my teammates always help me out. I prefer the varsity games because they help me improve” Anastasia stated. Last year she played for VMS where she was the team captain and received the MVP award.
Anastasia advised to upcoming freshman players: “Always be confident and proud when you play. Don’t let people bring you down or tell you you’re not good enough, because you are and you need to be confident in that.”
