The girls varsity field hockey team dominated their rivals, the Newton North Tigers, with a 3-0 shutout on Wednesday, Sep. 10, at Downes Field.
The Warriors’ defense came out hot, stripping the Tigers of the ball immediately and winning the first possession. The Tigers stole the ball back, but the Warriors showed defensive dominance as juniors Ellie Haberkern, Molly Schroder, and Serena Yankowitz made early steals.
According to Schroder, the team spent much of the day mentally preparing for the game.
“We got hype, and got a lot of our energy way before the game even started,” Schroder said. “Kind of starting around E-block, I could tell the vibes were up.”
Senior Caroline Hughes then started up the offense, scoring off an assist from senior captain Clara Thibault, closing out the quarter 1-0.
In the second quarter, possession of the ball continued to rotate. The Warriors’ defense stayed strong, as sophomore goalie Anna Sooben made two diving saves in a row to preserve the Warriors’ lead. Head coach Emily Hunt said Sooben made several critical saves over the course of the game.
“Anna Sooben, we are going to talk about her a lot this season,” Hunt said. “The sky is the limit for her.”
Within five minutes of the second half, Thibault made a backhand pass to Sophomore Audrina Williams for the second goal of the game.
Williams said it was necessary to go into the game with a different mindset, especially with a tough loss to Wellesley just a few days before.
“After playing Wellesley, I feel like we all just needed to reset, and to play our game instead of thinking about the last game,” Williams said.
The Warriors maintained the fast pace and aggression. Senior Maya Schwartz went down on a fast break, ending with a save by the Tigers, but setting up another Warrior goal. Williams scored her second goal of the game on an assist from junior Zoe Arthur to close out the third quarter.
In the last quarter, the Warriors’ offense continued to fight for another goal. Hughes assisted Haberkern for the fourth goal of the game, which was ultimately called back. The game ended in a 3-0 Warriors victory.
After the game, Thibault said spirits were high as it felt great to beat the Tigers.
“It’s always been a rivalry, and our teams are always close every year, but this year we were really ahead of them,” Thibault said.
Williams attributed the win to preparation off the field. Williams said the team had spent a lot of time changing up their strategy from the Wellesley game, focusing on attacking from all different areas of the field.
