The girls’ varsity field hockey team defeated St. Ignatius (SI) on Aug. 26 in a thrilling game, winning 2-0. Despite the roaring crowd, the Giants came out slow in the first quarter but found their groove shortly after. Given that Redwood has never beaten SI, varsity coach Aline Brown Copp wanted the team to play this game with an offensive mindset. Copp feels as though the team visualized her mentality and executed it skillfully against one of the most competitive teams in the league. 

“We have a lot of two way middies (multi-tasking runners), which means we are capable of getting as many shots on goal and opportunities to really stick it to SI,” Copp said.

Senior Coco McCulloch, the starting mid-fielder, discusses the significance of their victory over SI. 

“Since our program started seven years ago, we’ve never beat SI. We always play them as our first game of the season, so it was really exciting to win,” McCulloch said. 

In addition to Copp’s offensive mindset, McCulloch attributes their victory in part to the team’s exceptional job of communicating throughout the game.

“When we go in and talk each quarter, all of us get a chance to [discuss],” McCulloch said. “We’re not afraid to tell our teammates what we need them to do to make the game go smoother.”

Constant communication was evident in each quarter, given the solid leadership on the field. Senior Megan Minturn, the starting defender, admires the dedication of her teammates and believes that the underclassmen’s hard work has made them an important component of the team. 

Much of the teamwork displayed during the game was a result of the team’s efforts during practice. Leading up to the game, the team focused on penalty cornering, where a player is awarded a free shot on the goal from 10 yards. They also honed in on their free-hitting shots, where the team tees off from where the violation occurred, giving them a chance to score a goal anywhere along the 16-yard line. 

Commending her teammates, Minturn believes the team’s defensive success was derived from blocking shot attempts and allowing the shutout to occur.

“We got a lot of interceptions when we defended their free-hits from [senior] Caroline Goodhart, and that was ultimately really helpful,” Minturn said. 

In addition to the stellar defensive play, the offense made meaningful contributions. Redwood was very consistent in hitting their long balls into open space, leading to the majority of their scoring opportunities. Minturn commends the team’s strategic efforts and passing abilities. 

“Our attackers meet the ball after the inbound, crossing them to the middle which would result in a goal or an attempted goal,” Minturn said. 

To kick off the second quarter, senior Caroline Goodhart scored a goal that blew fans and teammates away, helping the players gain momentum on the field. With victory in sight for the giants, junior Maia Lewis sealed the game by scoring the team’s second goal at the end of the third quarter. 

Prior to the game, Minturn was very optimistic and believed a victory was going to unfold, but she is still extremely proud of her teammates’ performance during the game.

“Our goalie, Mica [Beard], really stepped up, and I thought that was really impressive considering it was one of [Mica’s] first times in goal,” Minturn said. “I also think Coco McCulloch had an insane game. She was able to switch the field and her hits were on point. She was in the right places at the right times and was able to bring the energy. [Her energy] had an effect on everybody.” 

Starting the season with the team’s first ever win against St. Ignatius, they are excited for what is to come.

“I think these girls can accomplish any goal they set out for because they’ve got the talent to take it all the way this year,” Copp said. 

Redwood plans on using this win as momentum for the rest of their season and are already preparing to play their next game against St. Ignatius on Sept. 2nd to reestablish their dominance over the entirety of the league.