One challenge that comes with developing a high school sports team from scratch is that there are no expectations when the season starts.

In fact, it's like a roll of the dice in that coaches are reliant on players just being interested in what they have to offer in order to even field a team.

For Patriot varsity field hockey head coach Amanda Dunbrack, about 80 percent of the 2011 cast she has assembled are completely new.

And that's just in terms of experience.

Every player is new to Patriot, which technically as a school does not even open until September 6.

Dunbrack cast the team's 4-0 loss to Hylton on opening night this past Monday as a positive event given that it gave her team a taste of actual competition outside of scrimmages and practices.

"This was a great opportunity because for the majority of our girls, it was their first actual contest," said the coach, who coached Battlefield's field hockey team last year as Amanda Brever before getting married.

Patriot gave up three goals in the first half but limited the Bulldogs to just one late goal in the second half, which came with 2:08 on the scoreboard on a shot by Kori Johnson. Kim Eng scored two first half goals while Claudia Ferman sank one.

The difference between the defensive stand in the first half versus the second half came down to communication, according to junior defensive captain Taylor Sanford.

"We were talking a lot more telling each other, where open players were," said the right-side defender, who transferred to Patriot from Stonewall Jackson.

Sanford said she would like to see the players "working together better as a team" because "we don't know each other that well. So we're all building as a family also."

She is joined in the backfield by her fellow former Raider Taylor Ware, who recorded 11 saves against the Bulldogs on the artificial field turf playing surface at Patriot.

According to Dunbrack, the team is hoping to harness Ware's experience and develop her confidence and aggression in the cage.

"Well, if Taylor is in the goal and she's a more confident goalie, then she's going to be running out to get those balls and kick them and clear them out," said Sanford. "And then we're going to need to be behind her in case she does miss so that we can help her out too so that she doesn't (give up a) score."

Sanford highlighted some of the new players as well, including Lauren Colleti and Tori Burress, for showing endurance running and poise on their passing.

"They're very good at ball control and being able to hit it," she the junior.

Dunbrack added, "In reality I think our best players are yet to be seen because, like Taylor says, as our chemistry builds, I think we're going to start to see some players start to come into their own."

At this point in the season, the coach explained that practices will likely focus on the Pioneers developing their spacing on the field, developing anticipation skills and working on the fundamentals that come when a majority of players are new to a sport. The team will first concentrate on developing its defense so that the players in the backfield operate as a cohesive unit. When a strong back wall is firmly established, then the focus will shift toward offensive, according to Dunbrack. Long term, scoring goals and earning wins will be the next step for the burgeoning program.

"I think once we are strong defensively, we'll have the luxury of being able to focus more on our offensive game," said Dunbrack.

In order for that to happen, Sanford said that she can "always help by talking to the team and trying to branch together" in a more spirited fashion.

"We just need to work together and learn to talk and communicate together," she said, later adding, "I want to see every single person on the team improve by the end of the season in some way, shape or form."