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Relentless pursuit powers Battlefield over Liberty, Fauquier
In high school field hockey, a winning team does not always need shoot 100 times a game, keeping the opposing goal keeper always moving. Instead, ball control, time of possession, and applying pressure can work just fine.Such has been the case for Battlefield (12-1 overall, 8-1 district) all season. The Bobcats put those winning traits on display last Wednesday evening, allowing the Liberty Eagles (6-7, 4-5) only two shots on goal all game in a 2-0 win at home in Haymarket.
Senior captain Rachel Brigham deposited Battlefield’s first goal after an inbound pass from junior forward Jenna Irvin 11:36 into the first half, which she followed up in the second half by assisting Carly Glenn.
The ball had rattled around the front of the goal just long enough for Brigham to put a stick on it and tap it to Glenn, who launched the white sphere hard enough to make an echoing “dunt” sound as it crashed into the blue-painted wood in the back of the goal box.
“Our teammates are always open; they’re always in perfect position for us, especially our forwards,” said Brigham.
While Battlefield dominated the statistics with a 14-2 advantage on shots on goal, the Bobcats equally controlled the tempo of the game. Liberty brought the ball into Battlefield territory in the early-going of the first and second half, but hardly ever established a true attack against sophomore goalie Rebecca Wescott.
Instead, most of the game was fought on Liberty’s side of the field, forcing Liberty’s Cassie Stroud to block eight out of 14 shots on goal. That constant pressure led to several Eagle penalties, four of which resulted in corner hits.
Brigham’s goal came on a free-inbounds shot with the majority of Eagle players being forced to stand several yards downfield before the ball was put in play.
“When they get a goal, we need to work on not getting down on ourselves and not giving up,” said Liberty defender Shay Vestal.
The Bobcats’ attack, spearheaded by a constantly-charging Brigham who was literally slipping and sliding from running so hard in the middle of the field, also forced the Eagles into tough situations even when they did have control of the ball.
“I think we just need to spread out a little bit more and pass more to different people and kind of spread them out; their defense gets so tight around us and does apply pressure and we do need to spread out,” said Vestal.
The win over Liberty cleared the way for a rematch between the Bobcats and Fauquier Falcons (12-4, 9-1) on Monday for control of first place in the Cedar Run District.
Battlefield’s only loss this season came Sept. 24 in a 2-1 match against topped-ranked Fauquier. If Battlefield won Monday in Warrenton and both teams win out after that, a one-game playoff between them would decide the regular season champion.
And they did. The Bobcats took the match 2-1.
Fauquier has offensively performed better this season, winning each district game on average by about 3.9 goals a game. Battlefield’s margin of victory within the district is a little slimmer at 3.3 points.
Naturally, Battlefield coaches and players alike had the Falcons on their mind immediately following the Liberty game, as phrases like “We’ve got Fauquier; we’ve got them!” could be heard emanating from the Bobcats’ bench.
“Rest, sleep; don’t make any wild plans for the weekend,” said Battlefield coach Jessica Byrd as she stressed the importance of Monday’s game to her girls.
According to Brigham, the win over Liberty gave Battlefield extra motivation to face down Fauquier.
“I think it’s pumping us up and showing our confidence in knowing that we can beat them,” she said.
As for Liberty, their players are hoping to for a surprise showing in the district tournament.
“We’re definitely looking to go out with a bang. We’re kind of the underdog; we’re not expected to do much, so we’re definitely going to step it up and work harder in practices and come out here and do really good in districts,” said Vestal.
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