After a hard-fought game and a memorable fall, the varsity field hockey team finished their 2022 season against Briar Woods in the district playoffs.

This team’s accomplishments are nothing short of impressive, especially considering that they were without a head coach in the beginning of the season. Luckily, history teacher Philip Constantine stepped up as head coach after volunteering for green days in the spring and teaching himself field hockey rules. 

“The number one thing about this team is how awesome they are,” Constantine said. “They were really welcoming to me as a coach [and have] been nothing but good to me.”

The team put an immense amount of effort into their regular season, finishing with a 4-12 record. The Bulldogs played many significant games throughout, such as their 1-0 loss to Riverside, who is infamously known for defeating teams by up to eight goals.

“The ride home from the second Riverside game was a party bus!” junior defenseman Marah Burnes said. “Everyone was going nuts and it truly felt like a win.”

In their final home game, the Bulldogs were able to shut out the Panthers of Potomac Falls with a score of 1-0. Prior to the start of the game, the six seniors were honored for senior night. Each player was escorted by her parents, holding a bouquet of flowers as her name was announced to the crowd.  

“I think we really just wanted to win for our seniors,” junior defenseman Juli King said. “They uplift everybody [and] take their time to get to know their teammates and they help everybody out. There’s not a single senior that isn’t super dedicated to us and our team.”

In their first round of districts, the Bulldogs fought hard against the Falcons, especially with the help of sophomore center Natalie Stock, who put her team on the board with a goal in the first quarter.

“The [goal] felt amazing, but I could not have done it without my teammates,” Stock said. “[It was] a team effort, [but I am] happy that I was the one able to score [it].”

Despite their effort, the Bulldogs ultimately suffered a 1-5 loss, concluding their season. 

While the team didn’t advance as far into playoffs as they had hoped, the amount of effort each player brought to the field shouldn’t be discredited. Congratulations are in order for this resilient team and its hard-fought season.

“This team went from losing most of our offense and coach, to being able to still be competitive, especially against teams like Riverside,” Burnes said. “I’m so proud of everyone.”