The John Carroll field hockey team was the team to beat this season in the IAAM “B” conference, with a big championship win against Mercy last season.
This year, they improved their overall record with 11 wins and 4 losses. The team’s season ended with a 1-0 semifinal loss against Severn.
Senior Julia Ward said, “My favorite memory this season was beating Mercy 5-2. This was a great memory because we played them in the championship last year, and it was great to see how much we have improved as a team and as individuals.”
Mercy is John Carroll field hockey’s rival, and the team was able to beat them twice this season after beating them in the championship game in the 2022 season.
“I am content with the season. In a perfect world, we would have gone to the championship and beat St. Mary’s who had an undefeated season. Overall, we performed well throughout the season and grew immensely as a team as well as in our game-play,” said junior Victoria Heid.
Some team members have already started looking forward and have utilized this season to improve.
Sophomore Leah Foltyn said, “The best lesson I’ve learned is that I need to brush off mistakes. It’s not the mistake that’s important; it’s what you do after that coaches look at.”
Head Coach Baily Kerr commented, “The team this year truly defined what it means to be a Patriot: a Patriot of the game of field hockey, a Patriot of The John Carroll School, a Patriot of a team, a Patriot as an athlete, and a Patriot as a member of society.”
“One of the strengths I’ve observed is the team’s ability to work together effectively on and off the field. What was also so special about this team was while we have many strengths, they were also aware of areas where we could improve, and we actively worked on those aspects in practice, games, and even outside of practice,” added Coach Kerr
Several players have expressed hope to move into the “A” conference next year as they have dominated the “B” over these past few years.