Thursday, Sept. 7, the Archie Williams Girls Varsity Field Hockey team faced the Tamalpais High School Hawks at Redhill Field. Despite bearing a disappointing 11-0 loss, the Falcons remained engaged for the entirety of the game.
At the start of the game, Tam scored an early goal to take a 1-0 lead. Although the Falcons held ball possession for much of the first quarter, they failed to get past the Hawks’ defenders and goalie. After another goal from the Hawks, the first quarter ended 2-0.
As the second quarter kicked off, Archie Williams tried to break down the attacking attempts by the Hawks’ offense. However, the Hawks scored another two goals on the Archie Williams team, while the Falcons were unable to maneuver past their defenses. At halftime, the Falcons reconvened, faced with a lopsided score of 4-0.
After a brief halftime pep talk, the Falcons prepared themselves to face the Hawks on the field once again. Unfortunately, the Hawks scored another two points on the Falcons, and the third quarter ended 6-0.
The Falcons took to the field for a final time in the fourth quarter, as they tried to mount a comeback from 6-0 down. With five minutes left in the quarter, the Hawks went on a devastating run, scoring five goals to bring the final score to 11-0.
“I think we started off really strong and fought really hard until the last minute,” said Falcons team captain senior Chloe Cronin.
Although it was only their second game of the 2023 season, the Falcon girls exhibited strong defense and communications, improving their skills from the offseason.
“I think the team is coming along, and they have come so far from just two weeks ago. We see improvement everyday,” said the Falcons’ Girls Varsity Field Hockey coach Trina Hefter. “About half of our starters are freshmen, so we’re just looking for development and progress at this point. We’re just learning about who’s in charge on the field and what everyone’s strengths are.”
Freshman goalie Lena Marcucci enjoyed facing the Hawks, regardless of the Falcons’ performance.
“We played well but it definitely wasn’t our best. We still had fun,” Lena said. “We definitely are communicating more and stopping the ball better.”
Despite the loss, the girls field hockey team looks forward to their next game against Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, at Redhill Field, Wednesday, Sept. 14.
“I think playing more equally-matched teams will be really fun for us,” Chloe said.
As the season kicks into high gear, the Falcons hope to begin an upward trend of improvement.
