Blake KOs Field Hockey

OCT. 26, BLAKE—

After one of its best seasons in recent memory, the Blair field hockey team (4-9) was knocked out of the 4A Regional Playoffs tonight in a tense, 0-2 match against the sixth-seeded Blake Bengals. Although the Blazers played at Blake's level, they could not compete with Blake's superior stickwork and speed and were unable to break through the Bengal defense.

Blake took control of the game early in the first half, using their excellent passing and teamwork to keep the ball on Blair's side of the field. As the half progressed, the game intensified, and the Bengals kept up their assault on senior goalkeeper Maura Druhan. Her clutch saves kept the match scoreless until the Blazers stumbled early in the second half, as Blake drove upfield straight from the draw. The Blair defenders were caught unawares and let in an easy goal.

The team worked well together as they continued to battle the Bengals up and down the field, but the Blake defenders blocked every shot. Druhan held out against the continued onslaught until the final minutes of the game, when a Blake attacker made a blazing shot from right field into the corner of the cage for a final score of 0-2.

In the post-game huddle, coach Brook Franceschini was positive about her team's performance against a tough opponent. "We played at their level. We were hot," she said. "[The team] kept up the pressure and never gave up."
Druhan was similarly upbeat about the season as a whole. "I'm really proud because we tried hard all the time and always stayed together," she said.

Franceschini also emphasized the team's resilience and positive attitude, even with a difficult schedule against perennial upcounty powerhouses. "We play every game as the underdog," she said.

Although Druhan, as well as fellow seniors Jessie Hallberlin, Christine Kim, Andrea Wilkinson and Claire Harper, will graduate this year, Franceschini has high hopes for next season.

The team has a strong core of returning players, including juniors Eve Kenney and Helen Anderson and sophomores Elsa Haag and Julia Stratton, as well as several promising JV players rising to the varsity level next year. "They've had a solid year to develop, so next year they should be able to connect and score," said Franceschini.