Ending their season with an overall 4-1 record, the girls’ varsity field hockey team defeated Berkeley High School 3-0 this Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Redwood came prepared, even though they previously beat Berkeley 2-1 in overtime at the beginning of September .  

After a couple of missed shots during the first half of the first period, sophomore Eva Oppenheim scored the first goal of the game.

Although Oppenheim made the shot, it was called off by the referees as the ball was aimed too high in the far corner of the goal.

Determined to make a comeback, Redwood’s offense kept the ball on Berkey’s side of the field for a majority of the end of the period. With five minutes left in the period, returning junior Erin Mccarthy scored two goals.

“All positions worked well together to keep the ball on the Berkeley’s side, as well as deflecting shots into the goal. We could have switched fields more often to play Berkeley on their weak side,” junior Grace Milan said.

During the second half, Redwood increased their focus on defense, trying to maintain the lead they achieved. Returning junior Nicole Notter attempted to shoot, missing the goal but placing the ball in line for junior Caroline Plocki to recover and rebound it into the goal.

Nearing the final minutes of the game Redwood was in the lead with the score at 3-0. Oppenheim swung at a pass made by McCarthy during a ‘short corner’, caused by a foul from Berkey in the shooting circle. Launching the ball into the goal, Oppenheim’s shot was again not counted by the referees as she shot from outside the inner circle.

Completing Redwood’s field hockey season with a 3-0 win, coaches Jen Reidy and Aline Copp are excited for next season.  

As it is varsity’s third season, the team has not only acquired new players, but has been able to add complexion to previous strategies and skills.

“Our 3rd year we have moved forward from just being able to teach the fundamentals  to teaching more sophisticated skills and strategies. This season we brought in eight new players. We are super excited to be here again and are going to be spending extra time honoring the team’s skills,” Reidy said.

The sport is still very young to Redwood and the team has been working on improving their skill levels from game to game and year to year, according to assistant coach Copp.

“One of my favorite sayings is any team can win any game on any given day. We always find openings, we can change our strategies, change our approach, our timing, there is a lot of different variables of opportunity that we have with a more advanced skill set,” Reidy said.

Next season, Drake and Tam will be joining the TUHSD field hockey league, implying that the competition within the league will soon increase, according to Reidy.

“Staying familiar with game when it’s technically not the season, would help further improve the team and prepare us playing in a league for the first time. Next season may be a challenge for us as a group that we are well prepared for coming out of this season,” junior goalie Vanessa Veto said.

As the team is losing three senior players next year, Reidy and Copp are looking for new players who would be interested playing goalie next season.