On an unusually warm October afternoon, DA traveled to NMH to take on their JV field hockey team for the second time in a week. The team made a pact to play more deliberately, switching fields and executing push passes – flat, back, and through – as a way to hone our skills and strengthen our team play. Caroline Mahoney ’21, started the game in a new position as one of our left backs and rose to the challenge with her strong defensive instincts, developed through her play as a midfielder. She sent many through passes up to left forward captain, Lucy Blake ’19, who took the ball down the field beautifully, executing several spin dodges along the way. Across the board, the defense was able to stop the majority of NMH’s attacks before they crossed our 25 yard line. Sweeper Kylie Kittredge ’22, was a calming, focused presence throughout the first half, feeding the ball up to the midfielders and helping them move towards goal. Lily Faucett ’20 was as solid as ever in both left back and sweep positions, warding off NMH attackers, passing the ball cleanly to the space ahead as her center forward Whitney Spade ’22 and center midfielder Captain Jada Howard ’19 cut to the ball, sending it quickly out to the side channels. Kate Kelly ’22 was her usual force to be reckoned with, with her block tackles and powerful flicks on her free hits. On the right side of the field Alissa Zhang ’21, Renee Ballou ‘20 and Ally Kell ’20 supported each other seamlessly with back and through passing sequences. Although DA repeatedly penetrated the scoring circle and were awarded 10 offensive corners, they were unable to get the ball into the net, tying NMH 0-0.