Girls Varsity Field Hockey has begun the fall athletic season with a strong start! Under the leadership of Head Coach Alexa Holmes and captains Hannah Wixom ’22 and Finn Gormley ’22, the 18-player team has proven to be a powerful force competing against other schools in the Eastern Independent League (EIL).

The girls tied Beaver Country Day School in their first game of the year with a score of 1-1. They followed that up with a win against the Cambridge School of Weston with a decisive 7-0 victory. A tough 6-1 loss against Newton Country Day School did not slow the team down at all; in their game against Montrose School, they again shut out the other team and won 3-0! In the team’s most recent game against Marianapolis Prep, the girls again rang the bell after a big 6-0 win. 

Being successful thus far in the season has come with lots of hard work and dedication. Between practices, games, and commutes, the girls commit about ten hours every week to the team. Currently, the team is working on preparing for their upcoming games. Left midfielder Lynn Lewis ’24 commented, “We are working on positioning, communication, and also getting better at individual skills like ball control.” 

The team has many rituals and special activities they do to help them bond both on and off the field. On the day of the games, the team does psychs: the girls come to school dressed in a preplanned theme such as flannel, blackout, or pajamas. The girls also do secret buddies where everyone receives a small gift or note on the day of the game from an anonymous teammate. At the end of practice, the team performs an activity called cat-cow during which they stretch their backs while simultaneously yelling “Moo!” and “Meow!” Additionally, they have a purple cheetah print speaker that they blast music on while practicing. Goalie Eva Tutin ’24 noted, “It [the speaker] is almost a religious artifact at this point. We need it to play music at all times.” 

The team environment is incredibly positive and supportive. Center back Laila Mooraj ’24 explained, “Even in tryouts, everybody bonded so quickly. Everybody adores each other! We have so much fun with the psyches every game day and it is the best team dynamic I have ever experienced.” 

Captain and right midfielder Hannah added, “Everyone has each other's backs. Whether you are on the field or off the field, everyone wants to support each other and is motivating each other to do better. […] It honestly does feel like a family.” 

The team has maintained a very positive outlook at the start of their season and their adaptability during the games is what has helped them be so successful thus far. Hannah shared, “I am really proud of our team, especially not just because of how we are doing, but because of how we are improving during the games. We will start off a game and push to our hardest, but at the same time, there are always things we can work on. […] Every quarter you can see a progression based on what Coach [Alexa Holmes] says.” 

Lynn Lewis ’24 reiterated, “We can regroup if we need to improve on something during the game; our team is good at that.” 

The girls are very excited for their upcoming games and to see how they fare against stronger teams. Their goals are to stay focused and purposeful in their work in preparation for the matches. Hannah noted how instrumental their head coach, Alexa Holmes, has been to their success thus far. She shared, “I really appreciate having Holmes as a coach because she is new this year, but she has still been able to bring us together and create a team environment that is super welcoming.”

Girls Varsity Field Hockey has certainly shown what tough competitors they are, and the CA community looks forward to watching the team continue to grow, improve, and succeed throughout the rest of the season. Anyone interested in watching a field hockey match at the Moriarty Athletic Campus should come out to their game against Lexington Christian Academy on October 29 and Berwick Academy on November 10!