Breathe in…. breathe out. The sound of distant cheers fills my ears. Breathe in…. breathe out. The smell of freshly cut grass wafts with each breath. Breathe in…. breathe out. “Goalie, are you ready?” The referee shouts. I open my eyes to a field filled with my teammates in their starting positions, ready to play. I lift my stick signaling that I’m ready to roll. Tweet! The whistle blows, and this is where the fun starts.

That’s how I began every field hockey game as a goalie for Huntingtown, starting with my first game on August 24^th, 2019, right until my last game on November 22^nd, 2022. I’ve been playing for five years, so I knew that I had to make my senior year an excellent one knowing that it might be my last.

With tryouts and the preseason in August, I was itching to suit back up in my goalie gear and reunite with all my friends after summer vacation. The first couple of workouts of the season felt extremely surreal to me. For the past three years I’ve always looked up to the senior class, and now that they’ve all “left the nest,” it was time for me to fill that role… which, let me tell you, was no small task with fifteen incoming freshmen! As usual, we started our season at the annual Northeast Invitational Tournament, which was the first step in putting our gears in motion. Ending the day with a win and two losses, we certainly had a lot of skills to hone for the regular season.

The first three games were quite uneventful as the ball didn’t really come down to my end of the field at all. In our fourth game against South Carrol High School, however, we finally met with competition. Sticks stabbed and smacked the ball across the field as players met in a ferocious battle. Swift dodges encouraged “Oohs” and “Ahs”. It was a spectacular game, just not for us, with the final whistle blowing a sound of harsh confirmation of a 3-0 score. We all knew that from this point forward, our journey would only get more and more difficult.

Our next game, against Patuxent High School, was a game that all of us put our hearts and minds into. In the 2021 season, Pax captured the SMAC Championship and was a state finalist in the 1A division. We knew it was going to be tough, but we had to win. We lined ourselves on the field, in an epic standoff. The starting whistle blew, and an all-out war began. Our sticks were like hammers and swords, jabbing and tackling the ball and our opponents. Within the first quarter, the first goal was shot in the back of the opposing goal by none other than our own Lyndzy Palensky. A ferocious cheer erupted from our few – but mighty – fans. The panthers retaliated in the 2^nd quarter with a quick deflection into the back of my net, which tied the game at 1-1. The 2^nd half resumed the fierce battle and remained scoreless at the end of the fourth quarter. As our first quarter of overtime began, players, coaches, and spectators alike wondered who would emerge the winner of the match. With field players frantically running all over, the 5^th quarter ended without a victor, and thus began the 6^th (and final) double overtime. At around five minutes left on the clock, Chloe Zeruto stood firm and tall in the scoring circle as she received a bullet pass from Ella Cox and deflected it into the back of the goal of the Patuxent Panthers. The clank of the ball against the backboard lit a fury of shouts. It was an amazing night, and one of our biggest accomplishments of the season.

Our regular season progressed relatively smoothly and steadily with only one loss against Leonardtown. Our Senior Night, which was against Chopticon High School on October 6^th, 2022, was one of the most memorable experiences of my high school career. Watching the past seniors being recognized made me think about the person I would become when I became a senior. When walking across the field I felt proud of my growth and accomplishments as a player, and even more proud of what we accomplished together as a team. As I walked under an arch of field hockey sticks, I couldn’t help but feel a little blue. I mean, being a part of a team for the past four years and getting ready to spread my wings was a

bittersweet moment for me. We turned an excellent Senior Night ceremony into a great 3-0 victory.

Our future games against Great Mills and Patuxent would both result in two wins for us Hurricanes, which prepared us for the game all of us were waiting for… NORTHERN!!!! It was the “matchup of the century” – two great rivals with equal records. Whoever won that game would move on to the SMAC Championship against Leonardtown. Last year, we had lost to Northern at home by a score of 2-1. This year, the game was played at Northern. We arrived at the enemy field ready to fight. We wanted to win, to avenge our earlier record from last season. When we played, we worked like a body: Each player had her own task, but overall worked in cohesion to get the job done. In the 2nd quarter Lily Greenwell received a shot from Lyndzy Palensky and drove the ball like she was firing a gun, clanking off the backboard in the Patriot’s goal.

Screams and shouts of joy erupted from all of us. Defense was locked and grounded firmly as if we were a brick wall despite having nineteen penalty corners. No goal was scored on us throughout the entire game, and we emerged victorious. The gate to the SMAC Championship game was now open, and we ran on through it.

As the championship game arrived, I was feeling pumped up and ready to roll. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and a burning passion raged through me. I wanted to win more than anything. I slid, blocked, and even dove so hard my helmet came flying off in the middle of the game. Despite my efforts, however, Leonardtown managed to score four goals, finalizing the score at 0-4.

Even though we lost the game, I had no time to feel sorry for myself. We still had the regional championship and state playoffs coming up. Throughout the week, I made sure to do my best in practice. On Wednesday, November 2^nd, 2022, we played LaPlata for the regional title where we won 2-0. It was a great achievement to obtain! We kept the title of regional champions for two years in a row!

Little did we know that that would be our last win of the season. On that Friday, November 4^th, we lost 3-0 to Manchester Valley in the state quarterfinals. To say that I was devastated would be an understatement. I love this sport and I love this team. The hardest part about being a senior is knowing that all the hard work, memories, and hopes would not continue the following year. With just a turn of a tassel, your time is up.

I am super proud of everything we have done this season. On paper, we should not have beat Patuxent or Northern. We should not have gone to the SMAC Championship. We should have been an inconsistent team… but we weren’t. We proved to everyone that they were wrong, and in a way, we proved ourselves wrong too. Effort, finesse, and determination made us strong. It made us the Huntingtown field hockey team.

It was an honor playing with everyone on this team the past four years, and for my younger teammates, please take some words of advice: You get to decide what kind of legacy you leave behind. Work towards your goals and let no one else tell you you’re not great. Show everyone who you are, and remember, E.F.D.