by Adam Pfeiffer ’20

Winning seems to come naturally for the varsity field hockey team, and almost nothing seems to be able to stop them this year. The Warriors have only lost to 2016 3A state finalist Blake, and 2016 4A state finalist Churchill. Among their wins are five shutouts, the team’s average margin of victory is almost 3 goals.

The defense is led by two seniors, captain Hannah Lev and goalie Emma Shuster, and a junior, captain Kyra Langbein. The explosive offense, capable of scoring seven goals in a game, is led by freshmen Ashley Button and Jenna Russell, as well as junior Lauren Delisi.

The team has won six straight games since losing two games in a row after a 2-0 start. After a 1-0 loss against Whirman, their record now stands at 8-3. This season, the team is finding the balance between offense and defense, and is manufacturing more goals than previous years, making a difference in the success. Coach Amy Morse said the team has always had potential, and this year they still haven’t even reached their max. Morse also said that the team will continue to take each game one at a time, and the playoff will be no different.

The squad has been called “gritty” by Morse. This was evident when they beat Rockville on September 18 in a shootout, also called strokes, in which Shuster saved the last two Rams’ shots, and Button scored the game-winning goal. Morse has instilled a “get there first” attitude, a belief of scoring first and often.

This philosophy was on display in the home game against Gaithersburg, on September 26, in which they scored within the first minute of play, before scoring again a couple minutes later, ultimately winning 4-0.

The coaching staff will continue to analyze what’s working, what’s not, and will make adjustments as needed. With this grit and intensity, Morse stated that “there’s nothing stopping this team from reaching the regional finals.”

The team graduates only five seniors, and the coaches are very excited about the JV players who are coming up to varsity in the next few years, making the future appear very bright for the Sherwood Field Hockey Warriors. But for now, the team is focused on taking it one game at a time, and using their intensity and grit to put them into position for a deep playoff run.