Girls’ varsity field hockey takes the MCAL championship in overtime
October 26, 2019
The scene was almost picturesque––the sun hit the field at the “golden hour,” illuminating the turf in its soft light. Fans’ cheers and shouts filled the air as the varsity girls’ field hockey team played University High School on Friday, Oct. 25, in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship. Tension ran high through the entirety of the match, however Redwood managed to secure a 1-0 win against University for the MCAL pennant.
After losing to University in the championship game last year, this match had the highest stakes for the team this season according to senior and co-captain Camille Goodhart.
“Even though Marin Catholic is our natural rival, University is definitely our biggest challenger. We have played our most exciting games against them this year,” Goodhart said.
The first half of the game whizzed by, both teams unable to finish their chances. On an offensive run, the Redwood girls got into, “the box,”the best position to be in to score, but were unable to get the ball into the net.
According to coach Aline Copp, one of the two coaches, Redwood struggled to find their footing in the first half.
“We were inside of our opponents 50, but we just didn’t have the shots that we wanted, but the girls kept at it… when they lost a ball they would hustle back and recover it, they had their sticks down low and were constantly working to get the ball up the field through the cloud of University teammates blocking their way,” Copp said.
The score stayed at 0-0 for the regular game, until suddenly the Redwood girls scored the winning goal with just a minute and 50 seconds left in double overtime.
For Senior Ellery Stocker,the game was the most stressful ones she encountered this season.
“The game was so nerve racking. It was mostly a blur up until the final goal. When [the goal] finally went in it was like the ball dropped and everyone went crazy. It was super great to be a part of,” Stocker said.
According to Copp, the last minute win was exhilarating, but they had been prepared for it.
“It’s the most amazing and incredible feeling to come back and beat [University] this year… We practiced our stick skills specifically for University, so the win is definitely warranted,” Copp said. “My first year with Redwood field hockey was with the senior class now, so to see them get to win the championship is a great feeling,” Copp said.
For the seniors on the team, the win was bittersweet. The final whistle signaled both their championship win they had been working towards, but also the last time they would take the field for an MCAL match.
Although sharing the same sentimental feelings as some of her teammates, Stocker reflected on her experience with field hockey and relayed words for aspiring players.
“Keep going with the sport. It’s such a fun game and this is an incredible team to be a part of. I look forward to seeing what the girls do next,” Stocker said.
