JV Journal

JV Girls' Soccer

JV girls' soccer (8-3) rounded off a winning season with a victory over Gaithersburg on Oct. 22, according to coach Kerri Galloway. Although most of the team members had never played together before this season, they managed to create an efficient dynamic on the field, said Galloway.

Galloway said that the team progressed a long way since pre-season, when they lost all four of their pre-season scrimmages. Since then, the team members have strengthened their techniques and learned how to play together. "During the beginning of the season, no one knew each other, but after a few games it got so much better," said sophomore co-captain Rachel Smith. Galloway attributed the majority of the players' growth and success to team spirit, hard work and a "never give up" attitude.

Galloway also identified a group of skilled players including Smith, sophomore co-captain Alanna Gangloff, sophomore Becca Arbacher and freshman Elisha Taney as forming the team's strong core. Arbacher said the team had a variety of strong positions, as each player mastered a different skill.

Even though the team won the majority of its games this season, Galloway maintained that the players could have developed certain skills further. She explained that in the excitement of the game, players sometimes forgot fundamentals, such as trapping, passing and supporting each other on the field. "If you have the ball, you know what you're doing, but you have to think about what the other ten players should be doing to support the ball," she said.

JV Field Hockey

JV field hockey (7-5) lost their last game of the season on Oct. 23 after Wootton overpowered the team in the second half, said coach Nina Hagan.

"It would have been nice to end the season with a win, but I couldn't have asked for better playing from the girls," she said. The team started from square one this season with many girls new to the sport, but has worked hard to learn the game and has managed to hold their own this fall, said Hagan.

Hagan credited the team's winning record to its star players. Sophomore co-captain Marlee McPherson is a leader on the field, and sophomore co-captain and goalie Molly Flannagan has blocked many shots and prevented the team from losing several times, said Hagan. Hagan also identified freshman Jenny Beech as a breakout player. "She is aggressive on the field and has a power slap shot and drive that is always pushing the ball down on offense," said Hagan.

Hagan said that the team spent most of the season learning the ins and outs of the game and building basic skills as well ast practicing through repeated scrimmages and drills. Hagan attributed the players' progress to their positive attitudes and eagerness to learn. "It never ceases to amaze me just how far new players can go from the first day they ever hold a stick to the last day of the JV season," Hagan said.

Despite progress, Flannagan said that the team's technique still needed improvement going into the final game. She identified shooting, dodging and communicating on the field as the team's weaker areas.