Another win for Bonita Vista High (BVH) against Hilltop High (HH). On Nov. 5, 2021, the BVH girls’ field hockey team beat HH girls, 3-0. It was their senior night—held on the field of Bonita Vista Middle.

“It’s been fun having a class that I coached for the last 4 years, [getting to] see where they started and where they are now. It’s been nice getting to know them more as individuals than just players,” girls’ field hockey head coach Brianne Paxton said. “I know the stuff that they learned here, [such] as accountability and responsibility, will travel into other areas of their lives, which is a cool thing to see.”

Seeing as this was a night dedicated to the seniors, it was a special evening for the team. Before the start of the game, BVH seniors were given sashes with the word “Senior” written across them. JV players held up their sticks, forming an arch. An announcer began calling seniors’ names as they passed under the arch, and were joined by Paxton, as she also dawned a senior sash. Paxton followed players under the arch, as it was her last year coaching the team.

“I think every underclassman that is on our team has so much potential and I know they are going to do really well next year. They are definitely gonna win the league again,” right forward and senior Keala Nunes said.

The field hockey girls have played HH in a previous game, as HH is within the same league. BVH beat HH 3-0 in the previous game as well.

“[HH] only has a varsity team, so they have had a difficult time getting a full team together. But, they have always been a competitive team, so my girls never take games with them lightly.” Paxton said.

The coaches and captains of both teams met with the referee. Then, the game started. There were no points earned in the first two quarters, although there were numerous close calls. The third and fourth quarters were when both early goals were made by BVH. 

Center forward and junior Gillian Merton successfully scored twice during the third quarter, putting Bonita in the lead with a score of 2-0.

“It felt good. I liked that all the seniors were playing and it was fun to [play in the game] too,” Merton said.

In the last couple seconds of the fourth quarter, Nunes made the final goal, leading Bonita to a victory

“I was so excited. I ran up, and [suddenly] I slipped on the mud in front of the goalie. I [told myself] ‘I am not going to lose this,’ so I scooped [the ball] back [up] and made it in” Nunes said enthusiastically. 

After the game, the seniors’ photos were hung up on the side of the fence. Pictures were taken and friends and family came to congratulate them.

“I think we played really well together, there have been past games where we don’t really talk as much. But this time, we were really syncing and connecting with each other. It was really good,” Nunes said.