Bleachers on the upper field filled up quickly with supportive parents, anxious classmates and restless photographers. On Oct. 29 at 6:30 PM, one of the most anticipated field hockey nights of the season was about to begin: senior night, the team’s last home game of the season, to be played against Saratoga High School.

The seniors lined up while the rest of the team formed a tunnel with their sticks raised for the players and their families to walk under. As a blurb about each player was read aloud describing their passions and hobbies, the seniors strolled through the tunnel one by one, arms linked with those of their parents. Upon emerging, they received a certificate from varsity coach Denise Eachus, along with enthusiastic cheers from their classmates, and then posed for pictures. Finally, with the end of the bittersweet ceremony came the start of the seniors’ last field hockey home game as Matadors.

Despite solid defense and many scoring opportunities, MVHS ended up losing 1-0 in the second half to SHS’ persistent offense.

The ball was passed fervently among both teams as the score remained at 0-0 for all of the first half and the first 18 minutes of the second half. SHS maintained strong, active offense, keeping pressure on the ball and giving the Matadors hardly any breathing room.

Senior Eva Ruiz explained that while there was a lack of communication and connecting passes, the Matadors satisfied some of their main goals as a team: hustling and maintaining position.

Close goals and give-and-go’s from both teams followed until finally, the timer reading 11:12, the sound of the ball hitting the interior of MVHS’ goal resonated throughout the entire field. Despite solid defense by the Matadors, the only point of the game was awarded to SHS.

“The score might not have completely reflected how we played,” senior Jaya Kumari said. “There were a few moments where we messed up and they took advantage of that.”

Losing by one point will have been a painful loss, but Kumari believed their performance met the Matadors’ expectations.

Besides the team’s performance, a crucial part of any game is having an effective strategy. The Matadors’ had tried to advance up the sideline, but SHS had countered this strategy by blocking the sideline.

“We started off really strong, our first half went really well, and it’s sort of reminiscent of our last game against [SHS] since we held strong at 0-0,” junior Oeishi Banerjee said. “It’s really heart-breaking because we lost 1-0 to them last time, too.”

While every player gave their all and had fun, the team was wistful at the thought of it being the team’s last home game. One could sense the urgency and intensity during the game through the quick movement, unity and enthusiasm of the players. The seniors were part of the close bond as a team, the field hockey family.

“It’s a crazy feeling because we spend three hours a day, three days a week with them during the season, and these are [teammates] I’ve spent the last three years with. But, all of a sudden, they’re leaving,” Banerjee said. “It hits you that you’ll be leaving by the end of next year and it goes from being the last home game to being so close to the end of high school.”