The field hockey team played in the IAAM B conference championship at Stevenson University on Sunday, November 3.
The team started out with a four-game losing streak and then continued a seven-game win streak until facing Saint Mary’s for the second time. They had an overall 12-6-1 record.
Last year the team played Severn in the semifinals and fell short, losing 1-0. This year they faced off against Severn again in the semifinals and secured a 2-0 win after also beating them twice in the regular season.
Heading into the championship, what made Assistant Coach Jess McGivern confident was the way the team had developed.
“The first time we played St. Mary’s we had a four-game losing streak, and St. Mary’s, a very competitive team seemed untouchable. Once we made proper adjustments and faced them at home, I saw we were not the same team they faced in the beginning, and we absolutely could have won that game.”
The preparation process for the championship looked at “lots of video on St. Mary’s and identified their strengths and weaknesses” said Coach McGivern.
“Understanding pressing and out-letting structure. Mostly focusing on their attacking penalty corners, which they executed really well all season. Overall, it was fine tuning our game process and finding confidence in John Carroll field hockey,” she added.
The Saints scored with under a minute left in the second quarter making the game 1-0.
Shortly after in the third quarter, senior Annie Minoglio scored, tying the game 1-1 and being the second player from a B conference team to score on the Saints that season.
For Annie, scoring was an extremely exciting and rewarding moment as she knew it would probably be the last field hockey goal she ever scored.
“The feeling of hearing the ball hit the back of the goal and being embraced by my teammates was unmatched,” said Annie.
With five minutes left in the final quarter, the Saints scored, making the game 2-1 and winning the IAAM B conference championship.
For freshman Cate Bianco this was her first season playing John Carroll field hockey and she got to experience a championship.