Colonials varsity field hockey team defeats Hayfield Hawks 1-0
As the scoreboard changes from 0 to 1, Samhitha Singiresu (20) looks over with her fellow teammates, smiling.
October 12, 2021
Jefferson’s varsity field hockey team defeated the Hayfield Hawks 1-0 in a district game on Sep. 30.
Before games, the field hockey players have many team-bonding traditions like participating in spirit days and getting bagels.
“[One] spirit day was ninja sticker [day], which meant we wore black to school and ran around trying to tag each other with stickers throughout the day,” sophomore Avery Park (14) said.
The game started with the Hawks strong on offense, but with a solid defense, the Jefferson Colonials were able to bring the ball up and start a strong offensive drive.
“Our defense stayed strong on their communication and on their transitions,” Coach Brittnay Watson said.
As halftime approached, the scoreboard stayed at 0-0, but the pressure to score was building.
“Hayfield is traditionally a solid program, and we sometimes have trouble generating enough offense to put the ball in the back of the cage,” senior Lauren Delwiche (4) said.
With just 40 seconds left in the game, senior Emily Hollinger (8) scored the first goal of the game for the Jefferson Colonials with an assist from Delwiche. With only seconds left in the game, the Jefferson Colonials just had to keep the ball away from the other team in order to win.
“We also did a great job managing the clock in that game, [including] being aware towards the end of the game that we were up one and didn’t need to score in order to win, so we could just hold the ball,” Delwiche said.
Communication is key and the Colonials were able to demonstrate it on the field.
“Everyone stepped up and it was truly a team effort. Everyone was making runs down the field and making defensive plays, and there was a lot of communication,” Delwiche said.
The game was one of the four wins this season. Scores from district games determine the team’s placement in the district, so the victory against the Hayfield Hawks improved Jefferson’s overall rank throughout the district.
“The win against Hayfield created a four-game win streak for us. I think this is the best record that [Jefferson field hockey] has had in a very long while. We are currently 4-1 in the district”, Delwiche said.
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