On October 30, the Lady Barons field hockey team clinched a thrilling senior night victory, securing their first league title in three years—since 2021. The Lady Barons ended off the season with a win; their improvement in the past year made clear. BVH Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey center-midfielder and junior Ella Roberts (11), describes how she felt after winning the league game.
“We won the league game on our senior night and we beat Southwest. It felt good since we’ve been working hard the whole season. For it to pay off and get the league title, it meant alot. From practicing nearly every day a week, having lots of games, some close wins, I feel like it all built up and made it a really nice victory,” Roberts said.
Thanks to the confidence cultivated due to the various wins throughout the season, spirits were high during the night that would decide whether or not the team would achieve a league victory this year. Over the course of years, the field hockey team has morphed and evolved into what it is today. BVH Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey right-midfielder and senior, Alexa Valenzuela (14) explained how her position in the context of the team has changed over the years.
“I think a lot of things have changed. I first started on JV and then moved up to Varsity my sophomore year. But, kind of just having new girls come in and then having everyone that you have been playing with leaving each year. It was hard, but at the same time you learn to adjust [to] playing with others. It is more of [having] a connection thing that each year you just have to adjust, so that is a big difference,” Valenzuela said.
As each individual on the team improves, the whole team improves overall. As someone who has been in field hockey for the entirety of their high school career, Valenzuela has had the unique experience of meeting and getting to play with different types of players. Field hockey coach Sabrina Sanchez explains how she set the expectations for this season early on, in a discussion with the team.
“In the very beginning of the season, we held a team meeting where we introduced the possibility of winning the league. From that conversation on, that was the goal that the team was going to work towards. Each practice was specifically organized to help them grow and address areas for improvement with the intention of playing our best field hockey in October,” Sanchez said. “[I am] so proud of how the team was playing and it shows them that with hard work, you can reach your goals. It is difficult to go undefeated, let alone to not let a point be scored against you, and yet the players were able to achieve their goal.”
One of the many ways to effectively make progress is to set a goal and the field hockey team did just that. Over the course of the season, they put in hard work to win several games and gain momentum to finish the season off with a bang during their senior night. This accumulation of preparation is what led them to their first league win in three years. Roberts explains how they were able to achieve their victory even with the challenge of new players being added to the team.
“We had a lot of returners this year, and we also had a good amount of new people so we had a balance between returners and new people. All the new people really improved in a short amount of time, and I feel that we were really connected as a team and bonded really well and that helps on and off the field,” Roberts said.
The connection as a team is important in order to perform well at games. Balancing assisting new members with adjusting to the way things function and continuing to improve as a team overall, is a delicate balance. When it comes to particular coaching strategies for the team and their dynamic, Sanchez explains that unity is key.
“These past few seasons, we emphasized working as a team, maintaining positive communication on and off the field, and setting individual goals for the players. We encouraged the team to score ‘team goals’, where the scorer was able to make a point on behalf of all of the players who strategically passed the ball up field. We wanted to reframe the game moving from playing as an individual to thinking about how they can best set the ball up to support their teammate,” Sanchez said.
When on the field, it is important to think of every individual’s score, as a score for the whole team. This mentality helps the team come together in order to secure a win. Overall, the dedication each member of the field hockey team has, has contributed to their wins during the season, up to the final one which guaranteed their league victory. Valenzuela expresses her pride over the team’s league win this year.
“I am very excited. I was just so proud of everyone. If they want something, they get it. I [believe] that was just a really happy moment, that we made it this far. Especially since the last time we won was [around] three or four years ago. That was really cool, especially ending it off in my senior year,” Valenzuela said.
