The girls varsity field hockey team celebrated their senior night on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at Downes Field with a 5-0 victory over the Framingham Flyers in their second-to-last home game.

Emotions were high far before the whistle blew to start the game. After warmups, the team introduced the 13 seniors being celebrated that night. Head Coach Emily Hunt said the evening was important for the team’s seniors.

“[The game] was really about celebrating the seniors and giving them one last chance to all play together,” Hunt said.

Senior and captain Mia DiCarlo said that at the beginning of the game, people were not in the right mental space to go out and play.
However, the Warriors immediately obtained possession of the ball and ran it towards the goal. The shot missed, but the Warriors quickly regained possession.
Hunt said how the team starts their games has been a key focus throughout the season.

The Warriors passed the ball around the offensive side, and soon senior Izzy Paes found herself with the ball feet away from the goal and quickly took the shot. The ball went in and the Warriors established a 1-0 lead. Only minutes later, senior Maggie Teahan took a shot and netted the second goal of the night. This brought the score to 2-0, Warriors.

At the beginning of the second quarter, senior Birdie Hawkins got carded and sidelined for two minutes. Despite being a man down, the Warriors maintained their 2-0 lead.

After strategic passing, the Flyers had the ball centered with few Warriors defenders to stop them. A great shot was followed by a pivotal save by senior goalie Anna Dencker, keeping the team’s momentum as the first half came to an end.

According to Paes, working on team dynamics has been a focus throughout the season, and something that the team has greatly improved upon.

“At the beginning, it was hard for us to come together as a team. It was hard to get used to playing with each other. But now we are really close as a team and we just go out there and play together,” Paes said.

In the second half, the Warriors seemed to have offensive chances first half, but that didn’t stop Paes from scoring again. Soon after, sophomore Ellie Haberkern scored, bringing the Warriors lead to 4-0.

After some back and forth between possessions, freshman Audrina Williams scored with an assist from Haberkern, bringing the score up to 5-0.

DiCarlo said that the team dynamics have improved a lot, both on and off the field.

“We’re really building each other up now, and playing really cohesively, and moving up in the ranks,” DiCarlo said. “At the beginning of–I mean we’ve improved this–but at the beginning of the season we were definitely playing more as individuals.”

Skill and team dynamic were undeniable as players beautifully weaved and passed the ball around the Flyers, ensuring that the last quarter of the game remained heavily on the offensive side. The Warriors finished off the game with a 5-0 win.

The Warriors took early control and showcased their improved team chemistry. Reflecting on goals set by the team, Hunt believes they have achieved what they have set out to do.

“I am really happy with how the team has progressed,” Hunt said. “We set a goal to get better each day, with each game and I think we’ve done that.”