Ask most beach-area residents what field hockey is, and their answer might resemble Mission Bay High School coach Kris Auer’s. “It’s like soccer with sticks. It’s like ice hockey without the ice,” Auer said. The sport likely doesn’t generate much more narrative than that among locals, but Auer has spent the last half-dozen years trying to change that — at least for incoming freshman. “Pretty much, field hockey is a first-time thing for a ninth-grader,” Auer said. “One of the reasons why I’ve found some success is that I am bringing in eighth-graders from PB Middle School that I go down and train in the spring. “I train a total of about 15 girls one day a week for about six or seven weeks, and then all those girls are showing up on my JV team this year, so I have a really large JV class of about nine or 10 girls,” he said. “And, that’s all because they’ve spent a little bit of time with me and I recruited them.” Auer’s program also attracts dual-sport athletes, mostly from sports like soccer, swimming, water polo and softball. Auer said the soccer and field hockey combination helps. “There are 10 players on the field with a goalie, which is just like soccer,” Auer said. “Some of the movements off the ball [are the same].” The crossover skills are nice, but Auer has other reasons for his varsity team’s early success, which includes a 6-2 start. “I’ve got some good senior leaders,” Auer said. “Ashley Sims would be one of them, Becca Pierce would be another, and other girls who have been in the program, in their fourth year,” Auer said. “It’s attributed mostly to the experience of the seniors.” The team’s demeanor also helps facilitate success. “It’s real positive,” Auer said. “We have a unique group of girls who seem to enjoy each other’s company, so there is no in-fighting, no pettiness; just a bunch of girls who are fighting for each other. They are real cohesive and they are just a fun group.” The team fell short of the playoffs last season with a record near the .500-mark. This year, the Buccaneers’ schedule heats up as Western League play begins Oct. 20, when the team faces Cathedral Catholic. “Every year we play Scripps Ranch, and they are one of the best teams in the county, and so that poses a big challenge,” Auer said. “But there are other teams in the league that if we want to get in the playoffs, we need to beat them.” “So the expectations is to beat the Madisons, the Point Lomas, the Bishop’s, and then if we can squeak out a result against La Jolla or Cathedral, we’re very happy,” he said. “But we know when we are facing the number one team in the county in Scripps Ranch, we are going to have trouble.” Helping the Bucs’ cause is senior goalkeeper Sasha Helton, who Auer said is a player to keep an eye on. With the field hockey team’s schedule just coming to a boil, Mission Bay is one to watch as well.