Field Hockey ties Gaithersburg

OCT. 6, MONTGOMERY BLAIR—

Blair's varsity field hockey team tied the Gaithersburg Trojans today in a frustrating 1-1 match that went into double overtime, bringing the team's record to 1-5-1 following last week's win against Kennedy. The Blazers dominated the game but once again failed to capitalize on their many scoring opportunities.

Throughout the season, the team has struggled to generate offensive pressure and take advantage of scoring opportunities inside the circle. Today however, the Blazers dominated possession and kept the ball on the offensive side of the field.

Despite their improvement on offense, Blair still had trouble putting the ball into the cage. The team had trouble stopping the ball, causing many long passes to go across the field in front of the cage without connecting.

The first half began with back and forth play, as both teams displayed their strong defensive ability and kept the ball in the center of the field. Blair eventually started to take control, but the game remained scoreless until the final minutes of the half, when a certain goal deflected off the foot of senior defender Anna Chiplis. The Trojans scored on the resulting penalty stroke, taking a 1-0 lead.

The Blazers came back in the second half energized and ready to score, but initially had trouble getting past the Trojans' defense. However, they kept up the pressure and got on the board when junior Christine Kim scored off of a deflection from a blocked shot by sophomore Iliya Smithka. As the end of the half drew near and sudden death overtime approached, Blair continued attacking the cage aggressively but was unable to score again.

The first overtime was eaten up by a string of seven corners by the Trojans. Blair's defense thrived under the pressure, with seniors Anna Chiplis and Jenny Jones each blocking several shots. The Blazers had few chances to attack themselves, and time ran out without a score.

In the second overtime the roles were reversed. Blair had numerous scoring opportunities, even getting the ball into the cage at one point to the exultation of the team on the sidelines. However, the celebrations were in vain as the goal was called back because of a penalty. The Blazers were hurt by weak passing and poor performance during several fast breaks, and overtime ended once again with the score still tied.

Senior captain Julie Spatz was disappointed with the result but proud of the team's offensive improvement. "This was the first game where the ball was more on the offensive end than the defensive end," she said.

Coach Brook Franceschini felt that the team should have won the game, saying, "We dominated this game. It was tragic that they beat us on that one lucky [penalty] stroke."

The Blazers will next face Watkins Mill at home on Saturday at 2 p.m.