By Vaughn Bui
On Friday, the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) girls’ field hockey team fought against Chaparral High School (CHS), ending in a 7-0 win. The Lady Barons’ intense pushes and defenses overwhelmed the Chaparral Pumas in all four quarters.
Senior Tatum Koby and junior Taleen Apkarian displayed outstanding pushes in the second and fourth quarters respectively, with both players scoring a goal each. Defensively, junior Melanie Valladolid consistently saved the ball for the Barons. Junior goalie Emily Baraja provided a strong last line of defense.
The Barons’ initial possession of the ball led to an early goal by junior Mazy Ascasio, whose push gave FVHS an early 1-0 lead at 14:25 left on the clock.
A penalty committed by Chaparral with 3:50 left in the first quarter led to a goal by junior Ellie Atheron, assisted by junior Carina Barber, earning a 2-0 lead for FV. A 14-yard shot by senior Lavinya Nasralla raised the score to 3-0 and closed the first quarter.
Koby would start the second quarter intensely, with a goal scored at 13:27 left on the clock. Soon after, with an assist by Nasralla, Koby would score, furthering the Barons’ lead with a score of 4-0.
“[The] goal was an assist with my best friend … That’s like, the first time we’ve ever done that,” Koby said. “I feel like the teamwork [was] really good today.”
In the third quarter, both teams played very well, ending at a stalemate. The Lady Barons’ offense struggled to pierce through Chaparral’s defenses, which proved too hard to break through. The final score at the end of the third quarter remained 4-0.
The Lady Barons’ coordination with passes between multiple players led to junior Lauren Trinh lifting FVHS to a 5-0 lead. An intense trade of rebounds between the Pumas’ goalie and Barons eventually paid off as junior Summer Larson scored a rebound goal, finalizing the 6-0 scoreboard well into the fourth quarter.
Apkarian would make the most of the fourth quarter, challenging the Pumas’ defenses head-on. Apkarian, determined to score, eventually launched the ball into the Puma net, earning the Barons a final score of 7-0 against the Pumas. The score was cemented upon the closing of the fourth quarter.
With the win against CHS, Barons’ coach Mackenzie Esquer reflected on the current fall season.
“[We were] a lot more put together this game … a lot more purposeful versus messy,” Esquer said.
With ambition and excitement for the future season, the varsity girls’ field hockey team will play against Temecula Valley High School in a home game next Friday at 3:30 p.m.
