The AHS girl’s varsity field hockey team has struggled through their last few games, ending their regular season with a three game losing streak and a 6-8 record. The final game of the regular season was played against AHS rival W.T. Woodson High School, which ended with a score of 0-3. While the scoreboard may not reflect it, Coach Cindy Hook was pleased with the team’s performance, which was a big improvement from their previous game against T.C. Williams High School.
“The girls played more as a team, put great pressure on the Woodson players causing lots of turnovers, and moved the ball through the midfield,” said Hook. “Defense did a good job marking their attackers and Emily [Fruchterman] played well in goal.”
However, there is plenty of room for improvement within the team and a lot of work needs to get done in order to be successful in the District Tournament.
“We are working very hard to sharpen our stick skills, minimizing our fouls on defense while maximizing our effectiveness and attack[ing] as a team to score more goals,” said Hook.
The players also feel that there is still much to work on and accomplish so that they will be able to achieve their personal and team goals that they have set for the upcoming games.
“I hope that we will come together as a team, using everything that we have learned and worked on to play relentlessly, leaving everything on the field and having no regrets,” said junior and Varsity starter Annie Rutherford.
District Honors have been awarded to players on the varsity team in recognition of their achievements throughout the season. First Team All District honors were given to seniors Kate Bermingham and Alley Adcock and junior Annie Rutherford. The Second Team All District players are seniors Jenn Allshouse and Mackda Dinberu. Finally, Honorable Mentions were awarded to seniors Kristen Hennessy and Erin Johnson.
The girls have also welcomed five new additions to the varsity team from JV including junior Hiba Abuelhawa and sophomores Stephanie Allshouse, Megan Flynn, Christina Uglietta and Jenny Jessen. The four field players and one goalkeeper will dress for all upcoming games and possibly play to help out their fellow teammates on the field.
Being added to the Varsity roster and being rewarded for their hard work during the regular season is very exciting for the girls. “I was very happy when I heard the news because I worked very hard all season and it paid off in the end, said junior Hiba Abu-El-Hawa.
The Atoms are setting their sights high, starting with the District Championships, Coach Cindy Hook says, “I expect the Atoms to come out strong, play with renewed energy and start their pursuit of the District patches!” With the District Tournament games are just getting started, the Atoms Varsity Field Hockey team hopes to progress first to the District Championships, then on to Regionals. The team won their first round of districts over T.C. Williams High School with a 3-2 overtime victory.
