The field hockey team lost a tight 2-1 double-overtime game to the B-CC Barons on Saturday, Sept. 27. The defeat is the latest in a six-game losing streak that sees the Cats at a 1-6 record halfway through the season.
The Cats broke the deadlock midway through the first quarter, as a shot from senior captain Abby Bruskin following a corner was tipped in by junior Nina Lichter to give the Cats the first score of the game.
“I thought we fought very hard until the end and we put our all into [the game],” Bruskin said.
The WJ lead was short-lived, as the Barons answered four minutes later and found the back of the net off a 3-on-1 breakaway goal to make the score tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Quarters two and three saw fairly even play with both teams exchanging chances. B-CC had a golden scoring opportunity when they were awarded a two-man advantage, but WJ did a good job on the defensive end preventing B-CC from scoring.
The fourth quarter was much more one-sided than the rest of the game, as the Barons dominated possession and had numerous scoring chances. The Cats got much-needed help from sophomore goaltender Ganda Nantulya, as she came up with several spectacular stops in net for the Cats.
“I think it was our best game of the season just because we all came together to support each other, and we’ve been applying everything that Coach Lauren has been teaching us,” Nantulya said. “I’m really excited to see us continue to bond, make changes and become better each game.”
The frustrating fourth quarter in the eyes of Barons fans saw the game head to overtime, where B-CC scored the game-winning goal off a breakaway in double OT, defeating the Wildcats in a hard-fought battle of Bethesda.
“We really worked as a team, and we never stopped wanting it and never gave up. Even when they got the ball back, we got it right back after that,” junior Julia Zucconi said. “I’m really proud of us, we’ve had a tough season so far, so this [game] really meant a lot to us.”
The loss couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Cats, as the Saturday morning contest marked their annual Breast Cancer awareness game. Beyond that, the Cats haven’t gotten a win this season besides their opener at home against Poolesville and they have to face off tonight against the 5-1 Churchill Bulldogs.
Despite not having a less-than-ideal start, the Cats are confident they can pick up steam and get hot right before the playoffs.
“This team is really young and just learning how to play and [the B-CC game] was a season-changer for us,” head coach Lauren Zucconi said. “I have five starters that have never played this [sport] before so the way our season is going is exactly how it was expected. I’m looking forward to the postseason right now, we’re still training and learning but getting significantly better each game and that’s exactly how we wanted it to go. They don’t see us coming for [the] post season.”
