50p
Friendship Cup Bonding
Never in my very limited four years playing as goalie for Brentwood Field Hockey have I seen a team rise so exponentially in skill that we were able to redeem ourselves from a loss of 0-1 to a whopping 7-1 rematch.
The First IX Girls went into the Friendship Cup with barely two practices behind them, one held on our home turf, which (while an amazing asset to our schools sport facilities) in no way properly simulates the true experience of a full sized water-based field. So with a “Get-to-know-thy-teamate” practice and a single skills-and-drills practice, we took to the field and played with what we knew.
The first goal was scored on us (as the goalie I will deny any claim that I had written this) but immediately there was a solid change in attitude, and I watched as my teammates learned how to play with one another as - get this - an actual well rounded team.
The second game was the real nailbiter since we were playing the best team in the tournament, yet we seemed to be an entirely different group - in my eyes at least. This match was when we played our best. I watched as the girls talked to each other (which wasn’t surprising since they seem to love running their mouths more than their legs at practice) sent immaculate passes right under the opponents’ noses, and scored with a loud “thunk”. And that was the end of the first day.
The third game was neither here nor there. We won, placing us in the final game playing for Gold. With how far we had come since the first match as a team, it was no surprise that we were able to capture first. The last game led us to victory, with Amy P scoring 4 goals, Liza M, 2, and Helena D, 1 giving us a final score of 7-1.
This tournament has shown promising skill, grit, and joy, and I am excited to see how the team can develop not only as a group, but how we can develop as individuals this upcoming season.
Eric E, Goalkeeper, OMNI Captain, Mack ‘22
The First IX Girls went into the Friendship Cup with barely two practices behind them, one held on our home turf, which (while an amazing asset to our schools sport facilities) in no way properly simulates the true experience of a full sized water-based field. So with a “Get-to-know-thy-teamate” practice and a single skills-and-drills practice, we took to the field and played with what we knew.
The first goal was scored on us (as the goalie I will deny any claim that I had written this) but immediately there was a solid change in attitude, and I watched as my teammates learned how to play with one another as - get this - an actual well rounded team.
The second game was the real nailbiter since we were playing the best team in the tournament, yet we seemed to be an entirely different group - in my eyes at least. This match was when we played our best. I watched as the girls talked to each other (which wasn’t surprising since they seem to love running their mouths more than their legs at practice) sent immaculate passes right under the opponents’ noses, and scored with a loud “thunk”. And that was the end of the first day.
The third game was neither here nor there. We won, placing us in the final game playing for Gold. With how far we had come since the first match as a team, it was no surprise that we were able to capture first. The last game led us to victory, with Amy P scoring 4 goals, Liza M, 2, and Helena D, 1 giving us a final score of 7-1.
This tournament has shown promising skill, grit, and joy, and I am excited to see how the team can develop not only as a group, but how we can develop as individuals this upcoming season.
Eric E, Goalkeeper, OMNI Captain, Mack ‘22