After an exhilarating playoff game at Kennett on Oct. 19 the HBHS Girls Varsity Field Hockey team closed out a successful season with double overtime and a shoot out, ultimately losing with a score of 3-2 to Kennett.  

The HBHS Girls Varsity Field Hockey team made it into the playoffs this year, a testament to the team’s hard work and dedication. The team left early to embark on the over two hour drive to Kennett and brought their best performance against the defending state champions. “[Kennett] won state championships last year so taking the reigning state champions to a double over time and a double shot out was like really… We were all pretty proud of ourselves,” said  varsity defensive player Shea Davidson ‘23. 

Making it to the playoffs was a huge accomplishment for everyone involved, and the team overall has seen immense growth this season. “I think our freshman and sophomores especially showed so much growth over the course of this year that many of them are going to be ready for varsity next year,” said JV coach and social studies teacher Abigail Portu. 

The team worked hard last year despite COVID-19, and their efforts definitely paid off. “I think there’s also a real commitment to general fitness year round. Many of our players have the off season where they’re developing athletic thinking skills and general field awareness,” said Portu about the team’s dedication to improvement. Being back to normal practices and games was also a highlight for players this year. “We’re allowed to practice more, we were allowed to have JV actually participate… we were allowed to have more fun with everything… and we [had] a lot more freedom,” said defensive player Megan King ‘23. 

However, what truly made this year’s team special was the sense of community and team work that took place on and off the field. “We’re really supportive even when we lose… we uplifted each other… made it to playoffs. That’s really big,” said King. Davidson also agrees that teamwork played a large part in this year’s success, and sees it as an overall benefit about the sport. “I like the team aspect of it [field hockey] because I’ve never really done a whole team sport because I did gymnastics and then I do dance, but playing a field sport is really good because it’s all very connected,” said Davison. 

This community is part of what makes HB stand out against other teams, providing them with the drive to push against expectations and win challenging matches. “The thing I especially love about coaching HB sports is it’s a really tight knit group of students… as a team they are really well connected… that close knit nature of friendship that really exists between the players is invaluable and as a coach that’s not something I can create,” said Portu. 

Portu, Davidson, and King all have their sights set high for next year, with making it into the playoffs a definite goal for both Davidson and King. “I’m looking forward to making it to championships, cause we’re gonna make it to championships!” said Davidson.

Each person has their own unique set of reasons for being involved in field hockey. Overwhelmingly, however, the players love the community that field hockey at HB provides, and enjoy the competitive edge teamwork supplies. HB Girls Varsity Field Hockey had a season ending record of six total wins, with only two losses being by more than a one goal margin. Their next fall season will start in August 2022.