On the afternoon of Sept. 28, just as the sun began to sink below the horizon, the girls’ field hockey team sprinted off the field, victorious. They ended their season on a high note, bringing out junior varsity (JV) and varsity players alike to produce a 3-0 victory against Lick-Wilmerding. The game added another win to the team’s overall record of 10-3.
One of the standout players was sophomore Eva Oppenheim, a midfielder, who scored the third goal late in the second half. According to Coach Jen Reidy, Oppenheim was an important member of the team during the rest of the season as well. Starting on varsity for the past two years, Oppenheim contributed significantly to the team’s success.
“Eva Oppenheim is a tremendous player. She started out really strong. She plays pretty much all year round,” Reidy said.
Although the game was technically a JV match, Coach Reidy decided to utilize many players from the varsity team as their season had already finished. The team’s strong offense kept the action on Lick-Wilmerding’s side for most of the game.
“Lick is a new team, but they’re very competitive and very strong, so the girls played really strategic, aggressive field hockey,” Reidy said.
Samantha Glickman, a freshman on the JV team, agreed that her team had given it their all to end the season strong. Focusing on a strong backline and an aggressive midfield, the players were able to shut out their opponent.
“I thought our team did really well with clearing the ball up the field and getting fast breaks. I’m really proud of the whole team,” Glickman said.
The team also honored their graduating seniors: Kelly Stadlin, Jaclyn Lando and Sara Wilson, in a pregame ceremony.
The rest of the team lined up across from each other with their sticks crossed in the center, forming a tunnel that the seniors ran through.
Each girl was honored with a handmade sign and a speech from Coach Reidy about their time on the team. According to Reidy, the original group of girls from three years ago helped to create the tight-knit group of players that is still present today.
“They were part of the first field hockey team [at Redwood],” Reidy said. “Most of the team the first year had never seen a stick before. They had never even seen field hockey being played. So it’s been a total transformation. They’re really great girls so it was fun to have such nice people with good sportsmanship be a part of the [field hockey] culture.”
As well as helping the girls improve their skills, Reidy has pushed the importance of team bonding. Sophomore varsity player Ellery Stocker, said that the team became a lot closer as the season progressed.
“We’ve definitely gotten better at skills, but we’ve also bonded together. The varsity and JV teams practice together, so that kind of builds a sisterhood and it’s a lot more fun that way,” Stocker said.
Reidy hopes to maintain a strong team community in the years to come.
“The first three years have been really foundation building, so [in future seasons] we’ll focus on more strategic play,” Reidy said.
