by Ian Graig
The George Mason High School varsity field hockey team won two of the three games they played over the last week to push their record to 7-3. Both of the wins were shutouts, and the loss was an overtime thriller.
On Monday night, the Mustangs beat Flint Hill School 2-0 at home. It was the third straight game in which Mason held an opponent scoreless in regulation. After a scoreless first half, Mason kept Flint Hill pinned in their own zone and put relentless pressure on the Flint Hill goal.
Mason’s first goal was scored by junior Caroline Stricker, who took a pass from sophomore Korinne Wills on a corner and fired a hard shot past the Flint Hill goaltender. Mason’s second goal was scored by sophomore Sarah Lubnow following a long run that left the Flint Hill defense in the dust.
Mason’s forward and midfielders were all part of an aggressive offense, with junior Julianne Kelly and senior Eleanor Langford among those who put strong shots on goal.
Last Friday, the Mustangs travelled to Wakefield High School and emerged with a hard-fought 1-0 win. Mason’s goal was scored on a corner during the first half by Stricker, who fired it past the Wakefield goaltender after taking a pass from Wills.
Mason’s defense was tough in holding Wakefield scoreless, anchored by Stricker, her fellow junior Celia Gieser and seniors Emma Graig and Caroline Jarrard. When Wakefield was able to break through, especially during a flurry early in the second half, junior goaltender Caroline Duffett came up big with a number of stellar saves on Wakefield shots.
The Wakefield win followed a very tough 1-0 overtime loss last Thursday to Kettle Run High School.
The Mason offense was strong throughout the game, gaining numerous corners and coming close to scoring several times. Lubnow and juniors Kelly, Darcy Jones and Callie Gaskins all put pressure on the Kettle Run goal, especially during a second half that was dominated by Mason and featured good scoring chances by Lubnow, Stricker and Wills.
Despite the loss, Duffett had another great game, turning away several Kettle Run shots during both regulation and overtime. With the scored tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, the two teams played a seven-on-seven overtime.
Unfortunately, Kettle Run finally broke the scoreless tie to steal a 1-0 win over Mason in a very hard-fought and physical game that featured hard shots and aggressive play by both teams.
The junior varsity team had two ties last week, a 1-1 tie against Kettle Run and a 0-0 tie against Wakefield, and defeated Flint Hill 1-0 on Monday on a goal by freshman Chloe Young.
The varsity squad has three games scheduled over the next week as they prepare for the postseason.
They have a rematch against Bishop O’Connell High School tonight at home. Then they’ll face Falls Church High School at Falls Church on Monday and host Patriot High School for another rematch on Tuesday.
