JV field hockey closes season with win

BLAZER FIELD, Oct. 15 –

The girls of the Blair JV field hockey team stepped off of the field all smiles Wednesday afternoon, ending their season the same way it started – on the winning side. Making the best of their skill and aggression, the JV field hockey team dominated the Northwood Gladiators for a misrepresentative 1-0 win, finishing the season at 3-6.

The Blazers excelled both defensively and offensively, defending their goal and constantly pushing the ball toward their opponents' cage. Scoring a goal in the first half, the Blazers managed to focus their energy on holding onto their lead and blocking any goal attempts by the Gladiators. After a season of close calls and coming up short, the Blazers finished off their year with a demanding victory. "I'm really impressed," head coach Nina Hagan said. "I told them during their first game that they wouldn't believe how well they'd play in their last – and it's true."

The game started off quickly as the Blazers rushed the Gladiator cage, rallying to keep the heat on the Northwood goalie. Forming a strong defensive wall, the Blazers kept the ball from even nearing junior co-captain and goalie Annie Buckley. Throughout the half, sophomore Hadley Luker was a reliable source of big hits that sent the Gladiator defense scrambling to recover. With the help of Luker and freshman Elizabeth Noxon, the Blazer midfielders snuck in a goal on the Gladiator goalie. Unfortunately for the Blazers, the referees called a technicality and the score was set back to 0-0.

Unfazed by the call, the Blazers continued to fight to convert their domination into a material lead. As the team struggled to make an impact on the Northwood team before the end of the half, the Blazer defense confidently pushed up the field, leaving the cage unprotected. The risk paid off, as sophomore midfielder Lyla Shapiro and junior defensive player Lita Farquhar expertly combined to hammer in the game's lone goal right before the end of the first half. "We got our heads in the game," Farquhar said. "We passed the ball well and we played really well offensively."

At the start of the second half, the Blazers went back on the offensive, attempting to add insulation to their narrow 1-0 lead. Breakaways from the Northwood team sent a jolt to the Blazer defense, but Farquhar and Luker answered with their own dangerous runs past the Gladiator flyers. The rest of the game was a back and forth struggle between the two teams as each tried to solidify a victory. As the referee blew his whistle, signaling the end of the game, the Blazer sideline erupted in cheers. "We've improved so much. I'm very proud of us," Shapiro said.

The fairly inexperienced JV team had been the underdog in almost every game they've played this season, but for the players and coach Hagan, this victory was the ending they had all been waiting for. Buckley and Farquhar rejoiced after the game over their final win of the season. "This game compared to our first was incredible," Buckley said. "We accomplished our goal of winning," Farquhar concluded.

"Editor's note: Annie Buckley is a staff writer on Silver Chips Print. "