“Who are we! BV!” On Oct. 25, this chant was yelled by the Bonita Vista High (BVH) girl’s varsity field hockey team, who prepared for their senior night battle against Eastlake High School (EHS) at the BVH stadium. The team held high spirits and higher hopes, envisioning a win for one of their final games of the season.
BVH begins the first quarter with possession. Both teams line up on the 50 yard line at the beginning of the game, and EHS proceeds to draw a foul. Prior to their recent showdown, BVH lost to EHS 0-3 in part due to a lackluster defensive performance, but Head Coach Sabrina Sanchez feels that since that game, the defense has made various improvements that would lend the team an advantage over their opponent.
“We have made a lot of adjustments from the last game and it really paid off in this game. That is all we can ask for moving forward, just playing our best and having our skills all come together at the end is great,” Sanchez said.
After EHS’s foul, both teams move back to the half yard line, where after a few passes from EHS BVH steals the ball. Midfielder and sophomore Ella Roberts (11) and midfielder and junior Isabella Garcia (18) trade it off to one another but the ball shoots through the air and becomes a foul. Finally, seven minutes in, forward and senior Amelie Juneau (4) makes a lifted shot into the goal and scores the first point of the night.
“At the beginning of the game I felt nervous. It was our senior night and I knew I had to play my best, not just for my teammates but for me as well. After I scored, I had a lot of hope for my team, thinking that we would be able to win in the end,” Juneau said.
Alongside Juneau, defensive player, captain and senior Kaelyn Connors (9) felt as if Juneau’s score was a major confidence boost for both herself and the team. The goal also inspired a sense of joy in the players on the sideline, who raised their sticks and displayed their pride.
“As captain, our team started out very new as we have not won a game in a very long time. We were ahead, which has never happened before so being able to score and show this improvement was awesome. Overall, I think people enjoyed the game more than all of the season,” Conners said.
The game continues as forward and junior Brianna Guiterrez (10) steals the ball from EHS, but her triumphant play is abruptly cut off when an EHS player violently rams into her. The foul is not called, infuriating BVH parents. In the stands, parents shout “You got to see that ref!” With an unseen foul, the game continues and the ball transitions between BVH and EHS. The first quarter comes to a close as the BVH defense continually shuns the EHS offensive playstyle, resulting in an ongoing back and forth game. Sanchez expresses the improvements needed so the defense could perform its best.
“One thing that I talked to them about at the end is really making sure that our posts are marked up on our defensive goal and then little things like spin. Instead of spinning on a reverse stick, which are not as strong, just cutting off that player and spinning on our strong side [works best],” Sanchez said.
After a two minute break, the second quarter commences. EHS cannot manage to score as the BVH defense degrades EHS’s ability to make any goal. After a second quarter of inactivity, the third quarter begins with BVH on offense. Connors felt as if the defense’s first half dominance boosted the team’s positive attitude for the rest of the game.
“Personally I feel like this was their best game of the season. I do not know if it was because of senior night or the rivalry. We played fantastically with passing the ball up and the defense was on fire. Just communicating between the team was the best it has been all season,” Conners said.
Now on offense, BVH navigates towards the opposite side of the field. Although, after about five minutes EHS scored two goals in a row. When this moment occurred, Juneau felt the team already suffered a loss in the game.
“After they scored two [goals] in a row I felt very disappointed. I honestly felt like we slowed down thinking that we could automatically win. It was the hardest moment in the game to watch,” Juneau said.
As EHS moves into the lead, BVH continues to intercept and block passes and get fouls. Sanchez explains that even though it was disappointing, the team was still encouraged to continue due to the point they still received from the first quarter.
“Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for us to get going and find our stride, but it really clicked for us in the first quarter. Sometimes if the other team scores first, your morale kind of goes down a little bit and you become a little sad. When you are writing that emotional high in the beginning it’s great for us [the team],” Sanchez said.
The fourth quarter begins and BVH pushes their hardest to muster up an offensive drive against EHS. The game clock ticks and an immense load of pressure in the last minute of the game has pushed BVH to reach 10 feet away from the goal. 30 seconds remain with each of the teams clumped in the upper left corner of the field, BVH trying to score a goal. Unfortunately, EHS steals the ball and moves it across the field. Ten seconds left and EHS has made it past the fifty yard line. The game ends and a wave of emotions hits BVH. The seniors walk off the field with teary eyes, hugging the underclassmen. Despite the loss, the team leaves ultimately proud to have tried their best in the end. The first goal, senior night and the school rivalry were all contributors to the quality game BVH provided.
“The happiest I felt was when we scored the goal. It was a first for a lot of things, so scoring it in the first quarter and just feeling that energy was fantastic. I definitely think that goal helped lift up our spirits,” Conners said. “In defensive blocking, we had a lot of saves which was great [and it] showed us we can do anything we set our minds to and I really feel like that did help me. I love my team and we were all in this together. We truly are a family and being able to play with them and the games and the whole season is a blessing.”
