On a brisk and windy New England fall day, DA JV field hockey traveled to Taft for our 8th game of the season. With spirits high, even in the face of challenging weather conditions and the slower-paced game on grass, DA took to the field with focus and determination. Supported by their solid line of defense, Emily Henderson ’20, Anna Scott ’18 and Lynnette Jiang ’18, DA kept Taft’s offense out of the circle while also pushing the ball up the field with strong hits down the side line. DA found themselves inside the 25 in good scoring position many times in the first half. The strong shots from forward Jenna Greenbaum ’17 were oh-so-close, as were crossed balls from Maddie Blake ’17, Emily Henderson ’19, and Ashley Manning ’20—all tipped just shy of the goal by forwards Raegan Hill ’18 and Valerie Ma ’17. With the momentum of family weekend in their favor, Taft managed to score first even with great saves and clears by sweeper Sabrina Sotirhos ’17. DA came back in the second half with a vengeance. They put relentless pressure on Taft’s defense and goalie, had many corners, and responded quickly to Taft’s first goal by scoring one of their own on a break-away drive by Maddie Blake. During the second half, the momentum of the game swayed in DA’s direction, and Sydney Gregg ’20 drove in the team’s second goal with a beautiful shot to the far corner after she, too, moved the ball down the field on a break-away, dodging the last of the defenders in her way. Although DA dominated the play during the majority of the second half, after our second goal, Taft put the pressure on. DA’s defense continued to fight, aided by great tackles and passes from sweeper Lily Faucett ’20, but Taft found a way to maneuver down their right side of the field, placing themselves into good scoring position. Taft capitalized on the two corners awarded near the end of the game and scored the tying goal with less than two minutes left in the game. In the final minutes DA showed their unwillingness to back down. Midfielder Hunter Keller ’20 and forwards Valerie Ma ’17 and Katie Whalen ’18 skillfully passed and dodged their way into Taft’s circle, but their goalie and defenders were able to fend off the final shots of the game, leaving the score tied at 2-2, moving DA’s record to 5 wins, 1 loss, and 2 ties.