On Oct. 12, the field hockey team honored their seniors with their parents, teammates, and coaches in their last home game against the Dominion Titans . Even though the Phoenix lost with a final score of 6-0, the team still had fun and supported each other throughout the game. 

The seniors acknowledged were Zannayah Thompson and Nuha Najmuddin. With cheers from the crowd, Thompson and Najmuddin made their way to the middle of the field accompanied by their family members, where each player got a senior sign. Principal John Duellman then took a picture of the seniors with their family to mark their last home game of their high school careers.

The practice before a big game, the team tries to work and target a specific skill. However, this game was different because each player was focusing on their own personal goal. 

“[Our coach was] actually on vacation so last practice, we were asking each position, ‘What do you think we need to work on?’” freshman Daniela Rojas said. This technique was evident in the team’s  plays, as many players agreed that those in different positions played well in the game.

“I feel like our offense did really good,” Thompson said. “They were able to keep the ball up the field more. It doesn’t happen that much, but they did really good, and our defense also did really [well].” 

During the first quarter, the Titans scored three goals. The Titans scored another goal during the second quarter, but the Phoenix were able to prevent the opposing team from scoring any more goals in the third quarter. As the fourth quarter started, the Titans and Phoenix fought hard to score another goal. In the end, however, the Titans won the game with a final score of 6-0. The game ended early due to the Mercy Rule, which states that if a team is down by 6 points by the third quarter, the game ends.

Even though the Phoenix lost, the team still managed to walk off the field with smiles on their faces. The energy was high all throughout the game from both the audience members and the players.

New Teammates, New Friends

Seniors Zannayah Thompson (9) and Nuha Najmuddin (00) pose with their family as principal John Duellman takes their picture for their senior recognition. Thompson was introduced to many of the players at the beginning of this season since the team is made up of mostly freshmen, but she still found that the team got really close as they played together. “I have been on the team since freshman year, [but] none of the people on the team now were with me,” Thompson said. “At least five of them were there during my sophomore year and most of our team is freshmen, so a lot of them came this year. But, we’ve all got really close.”

Photo by: Aline Gonzalez

Forging the Path to Phoenix Field Hockey

Freshman Daniela Rojas (10) fights to steal the ball from the Titans. Rojas has played the game for two years in a rec league before joining the Phoenix field hockey team. While she started playing before she got to high school, she felt she needed to improve. “I did a rec team for 2 years and then I tried out for a travel program,” Rojas said. “I didn’t make the travel team, but made it into a program that helped me. I believe that’s what really helped me improve.”

Photo by: Diya Chand

Acknowledging the Improvement

Sophomore Taylor Zeberlein (1) stands in front of a Titans’ player, bracing to run to the ball. Zeberlein played center forward on the field in this game against the Titans. “Our first game against them, we didn’t do so well, but this game I think we improved a lot,” Zeberlain said. “We ended up playing the fourth quarter, which I’m really glad about.”

Photo by: Diya Chand

Perfect Passing

Rojas interacts during the game with a member of the Titans team as Titans player holds the ball. Passing was a prominent part of the game that helped the team stave off mercy rule during the third quarter. “ I feel like our team communicated a lot, and there were a lot of passes, which is better than other games,” Thompson said.

Photo by: Diya Chand