By Karen Phan, Opinion Editor
This afternoon, girls’ varsity field hockey played the Westminster High School Lions and emerged victorious with a score of 3-0.
The Barons started off strong and were awarded a short corner in the first minute of the game. Although it was unsuccessful, Fountain Valley maintained their offensive pressure on Westminster and did not give the Lions many opportunities to advance forward. Despite the Barons’ aggressive plays, they could not come up with a goal as the Lions’ defense repeatedly foiled their shots on goals. The first half ended 0-0.
“[During] the first half, the girls were kind of struggling to get goals into the net,” Head Coach Nancy Mendez said. “Offense was able to make connections but they were lacking in goal scoring.”
Fountain Valley picked up its pace during the second half. Senior midfielder Maya Bello scored the Barons’ first goal with an assist from senior forward Madison Grogan in the 32th minute. Westminster matched Fountain Valley’s intensity and the game stood at an impasse, but the ball was mostly in the Lions’ territory.
After about ten minutes of back-and-forth action, the Barons gained control of possession and Grogan scored in the 42th minute, putting the Barons at a 2-0 lead. The Lions responded aggressively again but quickly lost possession of the ball.
The Barons dominated the rest of the half and were awarded a short corner in the 58th minute, which resulted in Grogan scoring a third goal. Fountain Valley finished with high intensity and a final aggressive push to score the again. The game ended with the Lady Barons winning 3-0.
“The girls played really well overall,” Mendez said. “Defense did really well. They were on their marks [and] ready for offensive attacks.”
The girls will play at Great Oak High School in Temecula this Friday at 3:15 p.m and at Newport Harbor High School next Monday at 3:15 p.m. Their next home game is Oct. 11 against Marina High School at 3:15 p.m.
An earlier version of this article stated the Barons’ game at Newport Harbor High School was at 4:30 p.m.
