By Vaughn Bui
The Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) varsity girls’ field hockey team battled against Marina High School on Friday ending in a narrow 1-0 victory. The Lady Barons’ resilience to Viking aggression eventually paved the way to their narrow win.
Junior Ellie Atherton’s game-deciding goal occurred after a breakaway from Viking defense in the fourth quarter. Juniors Taleen Apkarian and An Nguyen would lead strong advances against the Vikings throughout the match. Sophomores Xiann Nguyen and Madison Tran would provide crucial support essential for the Barons’ victory.
Clad in pink, Lady Barons dressed in bright garments to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness. Facing against the navy blue Vikings, the game started with a heated battle for possession at the midline. Baron and Viking sticks could be heard as the ball bounced from player to player. Viking aggression was consistently defended by junior Carina Barber, and eventually swept to Viking territory by junior Thalia Wilno with 13:21 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Vikings pushed toward Baron territory where a sweep by An Nguyen with 9:41 left on the clock led to an advance by Apkarian, Wilno and junior Mazy Ascasio. The advance was unsuccessful as Viking defenses caught up. The Vikings would successfully free the ball from the Barons’ possession and advance with 41 seconds left on the scoreboard. Junior Baron goaltender Emily Baraja found herself faced against two Vikings but blocked their shot bringing a close to the first quarter.
With a score of 0-0 coming into the second quarter, the Vikings made strong efforts to push toward the Baron net. Wilno and An Nguyen’s defensive plays successfully prevented numerous opportunities for shots on goal.
“There was a moment where I went in. I got super overwhelmed,” An Nguyen said. “But I came out a little, I did a prayer and I came back in. I felt so good.”
Apkarian helped to clear Barons’ territory and lead the charge toward the Viking’s net with 2:34 minutes left on the clock, though no goals were made. The Vikings would attempt a shot from midfield towards the Baron net with 30 seconds left, though it was blocked by Baraja. The second quarter ended with a similar score of 0-0.
The third quarter was introduced with penalties committed by the Barons, which led to a series of close shots by the Vikings at 11:43 left on the clock. A shot by An Nguyen assisted by junior Lauren Trinh at 8:10 on the scoreboard would closely miss the goal. Trading back and forth, Trinh and senior Katie Kunz continued to contest Viking players till the third quarter came to a close with a score of 0-0.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Vikings would trap the Barons close to their net; Baron morale on and off the field was low due to the long struggle to score. Eventually, the Barons’ defense cleared and swept the ball towards Atherton who found herself at a breakaway opportunity. Dribbling the ball towards the Viking goalie, Atherton would score at 12:48 minutes on the clock; the Barons led 1-0.
“Once I scored, I felt really hype,” Atherton said. “I kind of did it for my grandpa, who passed away this week.”
With the Barons’ spirits restored, the fourth quarter played on. Junior Anna Nguyen provided strong defenses to protect the lead against the Vikings. Baraja blocked a shot attempt by the Vikings with 6:24 minutes on the scoreboard. Both teams would meet at midfield once again where a battle for possession occurred. With 30 seconds left on the clock, the Barons held out until the quarter ended, cementing their win against the Vikings.
“They did really well. We worked on a lot of things throughout the week from our previous game that we unfortunately lost. They have improved,” coach Nancy Mendez said.
The girls’ field hockey team will continue their season, facing Great Oak High School at home next Friday at 3:30 p.m.
