The varsity field hockey team lost their last home game 1-0 against league opponent Granville Wednesday, Sept. 29.
Bexley began the first half with three saves for senior captain Sally Sauer and two shots by Bexley forwards. Bexley dominated the field and the offense. Junior Maddy Kraznow, junior Bea Meeks and sophomore Mashsa Shonia took multiple free hits that passed through the midfield and defense of the opposing team. The first half ended 0-0. In the second half, Bexley was forced to play more defensively. They finished the half with no shots and four saves, but Granville was unable to put one past Sauer until the end of the game.
At the end of regulation, with no time left on the clock, Granville had a last second corner that allowed them to score a goal.
Entering the game, head coach Kara Whitlatch said she was optimistic about the team’s chances of winning this game.
“We are just coming off of a great win on Monday against Lancaster,” she said. “We are on a little bit of a streak of wins this past week.”
Junior captain Evie Holzhall also felt confident in the team’s chances against Granville.
“They have about the same level of play as we do, and we lost to them last year in a very close game that they won in overtime,” she said.
After the game, Holzhall said that she was disappointed with the result of the game but thought the team played pretty well overall.
“I definitely think that we could’ve stayed calmer and more strategic throughout the entire game,” she said. “We need to give 110% effort the entire time and we need to not fade out at the end.”
Junior Maggie Simonton also said that she was disappointed with the result, but that she thought the team played really well during the first half.
“I think the passing and communication was good, although we need to work on our stamina and pacing, as well as our patience,” she said.
Simonton also said that they just need to play their own game and enter games with a positive and competitive attitude.
The team came into the game with a 6-7 overall record, 4-6 in the league. They had some tough losses against Columbus Academy and Bishop Watterson, two of the best teams in the state, Whitlatch said.
“Playing Academy and Watterson definitely helped us prepare for this game because they really challenged us defensively and forced us to play faster,” she explained.
Holzhall agreed that playing highly ranked teams like Academy and Watterson challenged them in new ways that they have not yet experienced from other teams.
“They definitely made us better as individuals and as a team,” she said. “We now use them as a reference for how tough we need to play and how we need to approach each game.”
Sauer also acknowledged that playing Academy and Watterson helped improve the team and individual skills.
“Both teams pushed me to try things I normally wouldn’t,” she said. “They helped all of us improve the basics of the game and helped to better the team play as a whole.”
“We just need to work on giving 100% effort the entire time,” Simonton said.
