By Karen Phan, Opinion Editor
Yesterday afternoon, the girls’ varsity field hockey went head to head against the Great Oak High School Wolfpack and won with a score of 2-1.
Both teams opened up the first half with strong offensive plays. There was continuous back and forth action until the Lady Barons stole the ball and pushed up the field into the Wolfpack’s territory. Senior forward Madison Grogan and junior forward Heather Erickson sent the ball up to junior midfielder Cortney Ngo who made a shot and scored Fountain Valley’s first goal.
Great Oak responded back aggressively but was overwhelmed by Fountain Valley and could not score a goal. The remainder of the half continued at an impasse with both teams taking unsuccessful shots on goal multiple times.
“[During] the first half [the girls] came out strong and were able to keep up with [Greak Oak],” Head Coach Nancy Mendez said.
Fountain Valley began the second half with high intensity and good plays. They were awarded a short corner in the 34th minute, and although it was unsuccessful, they maintained their momentum with connected passes and interceptions. Junior forward and midfielder Samantha Josephson pushed the ball into the Wolfpack’s cage during the Barons’ third short corner in the 48th minute, putting the Barons at a 2-0 lead.
Once again, Great Oak picked up the pace after giving up their second goal. The Wolfpack was awarded a short corner and scored a goal in the 51st minute of the game, bringing the score to 2-1.
Great Oak dominated the rest of the game. Despite senior defender Mackenzie Esquer’s absence due to an injury, the Fountain Valley’s defense played strong and prevented the Wolfpack from making any more goals. The game ended with the Barons winning 2-1.
“We played really well today, especially when we were able to connect our quick passes. Those seemed to work the best for us, and that was reflected in the plays where we used them,” Josephson said. “In combination with overall playing at a quick pace, I think that using both of those strategies to our advantage will pay off with a strong season, and hopefully get us into the playoffs.”
The Lady Barons’ next home game is this Thursday against Newport Harbor High School at 3:15 p.m.
