Girls’ field hockey falls to St. Francis in CCS

The girls’ field hockey lost 3-0 to St. Francis in the quarterfinals of CCS on Nov. 12, ending their season but not ruining a year in which the team reached their goal of qualifying for CCS.

“It was a tough game, but we played our hardest. Even though we lost, we reached our goal of making CCS,” says junior forward Rachel Leonard.

Earlier in CCS on Nov. 10, the girls beat the Monterey Toreadores 4-0 home. Junior Megan Doles and sophomore Jennie Werner scored two goals each.

At the end of the regular season, the Falcons lost 2-1 to Presentation on Nov. 4, with fewer than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite the loss, the girls qualified for CCS. They won 2-1 away earlier in the season on Oct. 21 against the Panthers. The girls finished with a league record of 4-6-4.

On Nov. 2, the girls lost 1-0 to Leigh.

“Skill-wise we were definitely a better team; it just took us a while to gain momentum and intensity,” coach Leaf Huynh said.

Previously on Oct. 7, the girls tied 1-1 in overtime at home against the Longhorns.

“Watching us play in overtime was really stressful. Every time we got the ball, we’d start cheering like crazy,” junior midfielder Joanne Sturge said. “But it was also nerve-wracking when they had the ball.”

A couple of injuries forced the team to switch around players’ positions. Junior defender Neha Vellanki had several hand and knee injuries that kept her from playing entire games.

“It was risky without Neha playing at times because she’s such a strong defender. She’s saved us from so many goals,” Sturge said.

Doles was injured yet still played during the season. She “pinched a nerve in [her] elbow and tore a ligament.” And she still hasn’t fully recovered after two months.

This proved to be a set-back for not only her team, but for her hopes of possible recruitment for college, “I was really annoyed and upset because I was [and still am] trying to get recruited for college field hockey. And no one wants to recruit someone that’s injured.”

Players say the team improved from last year.

According to junior midfielder Jenni Miller “the team has improved in [their] passing ability, and has really gelled together.”

“We have a good flowing play that has been shown in every game. We’re also more consistent this year,” Miller said.

Some of the most notable games have been against Los Gatos, St. Francis and Los Altos.

The Falcons will be competing in CCS this year with their first game against Monterey on Nov. 10.

“We’re a team other schools should be nervous about playing,” junior midfielder Courtney Ruppel said. “Our passing game is really good and we have a really skilled team. I definitely think we have a good chance making it to finals.” >