WA Field Hockey (WAFH) gave it their all on Tuesday, Oct. 8 against Bedford at home, though ultimately suffering a harsh loss with a final score of 2-0.
From the beginning of the game, the WA team spent a lot of time playing defense. Junior goalkeeper Khloe Felicani kept the net protected as the opposing team attempted multiple shots at the goal. Felicani was able to stand her ground throughout the first half of the quarter while the rest of her teammates worked to get on offense.
As the first quarter neared the end, the Ghosts were able to push Bedford to defense, but struggled to keep them there, often getting pushed back. This was a common trend throughout the game and according to senior captain Julianne Frechette, the team plans to address it at practice through working on certain techniques.
“During practice we’re going to try to improve on making smarter and quicker passes, not over committing to the ball, and utilizing back passes,” Frechette said.
Just as the first quarter ended, Bedford was able to sneak a goal past Felicani, bringing the score to 1-0.
The second quarter was filled with strong defense from the Ghosts. Senior captain Audrey Smagula was resilient against Bedford, often pushing the team from defense to offense or blocking Bedford from returning to offense.
As the second quarter came to a close, the score remained at a steady 1-0. Junior Lauren Flaherty took part in staying close to the goal, blocking many attempted shots from Bedford with the help of Felicani.
As the third quarter kicked off, Smagula and junior Lia Arevalo worked together to push the ball down the field and attempt a goal, which was ultimately blocked. The rest of the third quarter was uneventful, involving a push and pull between defense and offense for the two teams. By the end, the score maintained 1-0, Bedford leading.
Finally, the fourth and final quarter commenced, and just a few minutes into the quarter, Felicani was able to garner cheers from her teammates for her quick action.
“A point that really stood out in the game was definitely when Khloe saved the penalty stroke,” Arevalo said. “That kind of lifted the teams spirits, and personally got me determined to try and score.”
These shots are difficult to block, often allowing an open shot at goal, but Felicani was able to stop Bedford from gaining a 2-0 lead with this shot.
However, with 11 minutes left in the final quarter, Bedford was still able to score another goal increasing their score to 2-0.
While the team continued to attempt to stay strong for the remainder of the game, sophomore Emily Boneck, who had worked to send strong passes throughout the game, was elbowed in the eye by a member of the opposing team and had to step off the field.
As the last minute of the game hit, the team’s stamina had fallen, resulting in a 2-0 win for Bedford, and an unfortunate loss for WAFH.
Although WAFH lost this game, they hope to work on improving certain skills during practice while keeping energy high and having a fun end of the season for the seniors on the team.
“For the rest of the season our overall goal is to practice hard and play hard,” Frechette said. “Since it’s the seniors’ last season we also want to make the most of it and have fun with our last few games.”
The WAFH team will play their next game Wednesday, October 9th at 4:30 pm, away at Concord-Carlisle High School.
