On Saturday, Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey opened up their season against a traditional rival, Ethel Walker. The team didn’t expect particularly strong competition from the girls in purple and gold, but this game goes to show the danger of underestimating your enemy. Still, after a tough battle, Choate perservered: as time expired, the Wild Boars squeezed out a 4-3 win, with goals from captain Co-captain Claire Marshall ’17, Co-captain Amanda Reisman ’16, and Nicole McGuigan ’18.
Early attempts to win the game on talent alone plagued Choate, but once team chemistry and selflessness kicked in, the Wild Boars pulled it together. Specifically, Co-captain Meade Avery ’16 described one Ethel Walker forward that was continuing to break down the defense, saying, “We eventually united as a team and were able to contain the threat and, in the end, take down the whole team.”
From the opening whistle, this was a back and forth tilt, as both sides exchanged scores throughout. Reisman was a particularly bright star in the game, burying two goals in the win. Also stellar was goalkeeper Lauren Canna ’18, who came up absolutely lights out when the Wild Boars needed it most. Marshall provided solid play and leadership, as per usual, something that can be expected from her consistently in the season ahead.
A big factor in this high-intensity game and for the season is being able to connect and come together as a cohesive Wild Boar unit to overcome adversity. Marshall said, “Coming off a week of a lot of sicknesses and injuries, we had to work really hard as individuals and come together as a team in order to play together to keep putting goals in the net.”
This game tested the team’s resilience, but they succeeded in the face of solid competition. Top team performer Alex Jarvis ’17 explained some of the obstacles they will have to deal with in the season to come: “We lost a lot of seniors last year, and it is going to take a lot of practice to fill their spots on the field; but, as we continue to unite together as a team, especially with Fran [O’Donoghue] as our coach, we will only improve this fall.”
The next few weeks are riddled with challenging rivals for Choate Field Hockey. Westminster, Andover, and Loomis Chaffee will test this team, which is attempting to balance veteran leadership and raw, young talent.
