By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
In a game that was closer than the 3-0 score would indicate, the Fluvanna field hockey team matched up well against the Black Knights from Charlottesville High. Ten minutes into the first fifteen minute quarter, Charlottesville managed to put the ball into the Flucos net. Senior defender Abigail Gordon played a strong game in the quarter, but the Black Knights were awarded a series of penalty corners which are definite scoring opportunities. Senior goalie Savannah Peterson managed to turn back a number of shots and the quarter ended with a score of Charlottesville 1 and Fluvanna 0.
The second quarter was scoreless. Peterson continued to make saves for the Flucos. Sophomore mid-fielder Claire Petrylak made a strong steal and Senior Fluco forward Delaney Feury had the Flucos’ best chance to even the score , but she was thwarted by the Charlottesville goalie.
The third quarter was much like the first. Five minutes in, the Black Knights again fired the ball into the Fluco goal. The 2-0 lead would stand up until the final seconds of the fourth quarter. In this quarter, Petrylak and sophomore mid-fielder Aleah Anderson demonstrated some strong ball handling skills.
The fourth quarter mimicked the second quarter and there was no scoring until the Black Nights managed a completely meaningless score with six seconds left.
After the game, Coach Jennifer Payne reported that Peterson who was in goal for the first, second and fourth quarters, recorded an impressive 25 saves. She also pointed out that Petrylak was successful in carrying the ball down field.
Field hockey is a skill game that is rugged and somewhat dangerous. A hard ball is driven up and down the field by players swinging wooden sticks that aren’t supposed to hit the opposition, but sometimes do. The ball is also not supposed to hit the opposition either, but players often have bruises that demonstrate that this is not always the case. In the U.S., many high schools have a women’s team but no men’s team. In most of the rest of the world, field hockey is played by men and women.
With this loss, Fluco field hockey team fell to 0-3. On Sept. 11, they played at Western Albemarle. On Sept. 16, they played at EC Glass High. They return home for a game against Louisa on Sept.18. They are then away for three games, against Highland Springs, Orange County and Saint Anne’s Belfield on Sept.20, 23 and 24.
