The varsity field hockey team is looking to build and improve to ultimately finish the season with a better record than last year.
This season began a bit unconventionally. The team’s first scrimmage and first game were both canceled due to poor weather. The first official game was on Monday, Sept. 18, against a formidable opponent in Choate Rosemary Hall. It was a tough matchup but well-fought throughout. The team ultimately lost 6-0.
The Wyverns were looking to bounce back against a familiar opponent, Hopkins School. It was an exciting matchup that had many on the edge of their seats. Hopkins started fast, scoring two goals out of the gate in the first quarter. The Wyverns didn’t worry and came back strong. Freshman midfielder Addie Lang started the comeback and got the Wyverns on the board. Sophomore midfielder Kate Dempsey-Weiner tied up the game with a beautiful goal from the corner. To cap off the comeback, senior forward Co-captain Emma Barringer fired a rocket to the back of the goal and secured the victory for the team, 3-2. A strong team effort carried the Wyverns to a gritty, hard-fought win.
Barringer was quick to highlight the efforts of Dempsey-Weiner from last season and this season. “She’s definitely a leader on the field,” Barringer said. “She always has strong possessions and has an impressive awareness of field hockey.” Barringer also mentioned freshman midfielder Marin Backer. “She’s new to the team this year, but she’s made a mark on the team,” she said. “Backer is an impressive field hockey player.” Assistant Coach Caitlin Moriarty talked more about the team as a whole. “No one individual wins a game,” she said. “We’re really focusing on being a team.”
The team’s next matchup was against Worcester Academy. This was another tight game in which the Wyverns found themselves leading thanks to senior forward Hana Haxhaj’s goal. In the fourth quarter, Worcester fought back and pulled out the win. A crushing defeat, but the team had to move forward. The next matchup was against the Loomis Chaffee School, where the Wyverns found themselves outmatched by a perpetually strong opponent, but Haxhaj scored again, proving to be a valuable offensive weapon for the team.
For the season ahead, Coach Moriarty is looking for the team’s intelligence and spirit to propel them forward. “When supporting each other on the field, when we’re digging in the dirt to get back on defense, and when we play more of an intellectual game, thinking on the field, I think that’s when we are going to win,” she said. Barringer agreed with Coach Moriarty’s statements. “One of our goals is to ensure that we remain positive and bring energy to every single game,” Barringer said.
The next matchup on the schedule for the field hockey team is against St. Luke’s School on Friday, Oct. 6, where the team will be looking to secure their second win of the season.
