Thirds Field Hockey vs Hotchkiss School

Score/Result: 0-4 L

Under cloudy skies and falling autumn leaves, our Thirds team headed up to Lakeville, Connecticut to take on Taft’s school rival, Hotchkiss. Two borrowed JV players, Meme Ewald and Hallie Burke, helped us compete by bringing their enthusiasm and game experience to the field, contributing to the unity and strength of our players today.

The first half of the game was a true test of our defense and mid-field: Sophia Dawn and Ai Bui were shining from the start, using their aggressive defending and quick reflexes to bring the ball into Taft’s possession. Sophia and defender Cait Nash worked side-by-side with some incredible passes and communication, successfully whipping the ball by Hotchkiss offense. Goalie Felicity Petruzzi was a seemingly impenetrable wall in front of our goal, blocking several attempted goals with unwavering courage and with a forceful kick that sent the ball far into left field at one point in the first half.  Today’s game revealed our girls’ athleticism and enthusiasm for the sport as well. Players such as Amara Falotico, Alice Kim and Meme represented the forward and mid-field positions by holding their ground and running the field for almost the entire duration of the game.

As the game unfolded, it became clear that today’s ultimate loss against Hotchkiss should be recognized for its successes rather than its shortcomings. Lanting Lu, Erin Hyun and Jane Kim contributed notably to the success of our offense strategy by spreading out on the field and positioning themselves for passes. Megan Smith demonstrated good sportsmanship by communicating with her teammates and encouraging her teammates throughout the final, tiring minutes of the game. Everyone brought her practiced stick skills and strategies into play today. Bravo!

Today’s score does not represent fully the small successes and lessons learned on the field. Our girls have fun competing and have fun improving: with this attitude there will surely be many goals to be scored this season.

-Coach Vris