WAFH suffers shutout against Chelmsford
September 18, 2021
The Varsity Field Hockey team took on Chelmsford at 3:30 pm this Friday, Sept. 17 at Chelmsford High School. WA fell to the past Division 1 North semifinalists with a score of 5-0.
The game got off to a quick start. Chelmsford senior captain Lexi D’Angelo got her team on the board one minute in, giving them an early 1-0 lead. Chelmsford followed with a strong offensive game, as sophomore Kate Harrison quickly attempted multiple attacks on goal after a penalty corner allowed the team to do so. Five minutes later, Chelmsford junior captain Remore Serra assisted senior captain Maddie Priestly in completing the second goal of the game.
WA followed with their own offensive strength, most notably on the part of senior Owen de Mars and junior Hannah Kennedy, who both dribbled the ball to considerable lengths across the field. WA junior Liv Baumert made good defensive plays, especially against Chelmsford senior captain Sarah Latham and Harrison, and WA goalkeeper Lyndsay Duato continued to clear the ball from the shooting circle on several close calls. However, Chelmsford’s senior Julia Pitts assisted Latham in scoring another goal with 50 seconds left in the first quarter.
The second quarter started with more promise, as WA quickly brought the bulk of the play over to Chelmsford’s half of the field. Sophomore Katie Carroll blocked several attempts on goal while sophomore Jordan Bishop went head-to-head with Chelmsford’s defense, continuing to take control the ball. However, this was still not enough to stop Chelmsford from scoring again. D’Angelo made an attack on goal, assisted by Latham, bringing the score up to 4-0.
WA stepped up their game in the second half. Contentions by junior Sarah Strzegowski in the midfield brought the offense more scoring opportunities, while sophomore Ally Lombardo took several shots on goal. The defense fended off danger in the shooting circle, as senior Tanya Vasireddy cleared the ball on critical plays, while senior captain Liv MacCormack swept the ball down the field to shift play from defense to offense.
But while WA was doing better, Chelmsford’s offensive stronghold of captains D’Angelo, Priestly, Latham and Serra continued to stand tall. Serra ultimately scored the fifth goal of the game with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, bringing Chelmsford up to 5-0. In spite of WA players such as junior Madelyn Haley and de Mars attempting to score, their efforts were futile in the end.
Although the game may not have resulted in a win for WA, the team’s continued cooperation and improved strategy were something to be celebrated.
“I think the calls were not in our favor, but we had the skill and we had the execution, and our communication was awesome,” Baumert said. “We had really good plays and our offensive movement was incredible. It was way better than our last game.”
The team plays their next game on the Trustees Field against Concord-Carlisle this Monday, Sept. 20.
