Vikings conquer Blazers

Blair Varsity field hockey (2-4-1) was overcome by the Walt Whitman Vikings (5-2) Tuesday night, losing by a score of 0-3. The Blazers had an incredible first half, but lost speed in the second half. The team struggled to move the ball up the field, and Whitman's offense took advantage in the second half.

From the start of the buzzer, the Blazers played intensity. Whitman was able to snap possession of the ball from the first center pass, and Blair felt the pressure to get the ball on Whitman's side early on. Ten minutes in, the Vikings were awarded a penalty corner. The Blazers scattered to defend their goal, and just before the ball could go in, senior goalkeeper Susana Perez made an impressive save.

Nearing the end of the first half, senior attacker Maddie Boyer made a through pass to junior attacker Nika Seider. She made a drive towards the Whitman side, and senior midfielder Sabrina Zhou pushed the ball down. However, Blair struggled to get a shot off on goal.

In the first half, the Blazers and the Vikings traded possession of the ball constantly. Blair's strong defensive tactics allowed the score to end steady at 0-0. McGarvey felt satisfied with their defense and communication, but feels that they should work on their offense. "I think we played really well defensively, but we had a lot of trouble getting up the field and scoring. We definitely made a lot of good passes, but we just couldn't get up the field," she said.

The beginning center pass of the second half went straight to Whitman, and they put the pressure on Perez and the defense almost immediately. Only two minutes in, a swarm of Whitman players surrounded the goal and scored easily. "They were really good at getting the shots off in the circle and cutting around people to get the shots," McGarvey commented.

Only a couple minutes later, Whitman approached the Blair goal and attempted to shoot, but Perez was able to dive and save their first attempt. Blazers crowded around the goal, and the Perez blocked the next attempt. However, The third shot by Whitman slipped by, bringing the score to 0-2.

With 26 minutes left, the Blazers began to lose their steam. "As a team, I think we came out with a lot of energy. We kind of wafered a little bit, and I think they took advantage of that in the second half," Boyer said.

Senior midfielder Anna Reachmack tried to pick the game back up, by intercepting the ball. Whitman fouled 3 times in a row, awarding Blair with 3 corner shots. Boyer quickly passed to McGarvey, who attempted to make a shot. However, the ball only skimmed the side of the goal. Whitman was able to gain control again, and drove the ball back to their side.
With 14 minutes remaining, Whitman scored once again. Ultimately sealing the deal for the Vikings, and crushing all hopes of a Blazer comeback.

Blazers came out with the expectation that it would be a difficult game, and played to the best of their abilities. The second half proved to be a challenge. "Last year, they beat us in a double overtime, so we thought it would be a similar game. We definitely came out strong the first half, but then in the second half, we fell apart a little," McGarvey said.

Editor's Note: Luisa McGarvey is a staff writer for Silver Chips Print. Maddie Boyer is on the business staff for Silver Chips Print.