Varsity Field Hockey fell to Palo Alto High School 2-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 25, finalizing its record at eight wins, seven losses and three ties. Despite having high hopes for the team’s last game of the season, the Matadors were unable to keep up with PAHS.
Head Coach Serena Yoo recounts from previous games that PAHS had many effective strategies in different aspects of the game, like passing and overall endurance, which made it challenging for MVHS.
“The first time we played them, it was a bit difficult for us because we were playing tough but [their] players had intensity,” Yoo said. “[In this game], I thought we played really well, like the passes we were making were connecting. We were learning throughout the game what works and adapting to the team, and we had the most offensive push in all our games that we have played.”
Senior and captain Kalyani Puthenpurayil expected to win coming into senior night because of the positive energy and motivation among her teammates. However, through this loss the Puthenpurayil noticed several areas to improve.
“They were really good at cutting to the ball and we could have improved on that,” Puthenpurayil said. “But they were able to pick off the ball really quickly and we had to drop back for that, so we could have avoided that.”
Senior and defender Alice Ross says the team played its last game with far more grit than in previous games. She added how in the past, after being down in the score early, the team often slowed down and became less aggressive; however, during the entirety of this matchup, she says the Matadors kept trying their hardest.
“This is the best MV Field Hockey team I have been on [in] my four years,” Ross said. “Usually we are at the bottom of the league, but we [are] solidly in the middle of [the league] this time.”
Puthenpurayil mentions that previously, the team faced difficulties in forming distinct JV and Varsity teams, but following adjustments in its recruitment process, the team successfully brought in a significant number of new players.
“Last year, we had to combine JV and Varsity because there weren’t enough players for both teams,” Puthenpurayil said. “But this year, we were able to recruit enough players to have two teams. Our previous coach also left, so we had a coaching transition, but we were able to adjust to these new changes. I am very proud of how far we’ve come and the effort we’ve put into our program.”
Puthenpurayil incurred a concussion for three weeks, but was able to return a week before senior night and play the last few games of the season. She is proud of herself for being able to return, but wishes she didn’t get injured so that she could have played better in her last game. She concludes that she appreciates what field hockey had in store for her including all the friendships that it led to and is still grateful to end her last season of high school field hockey playing alongside all her friends.
“Senior night is just a fun memory that I can share with my field hockey friends,” Puthenpurayil said. “We have been together for four years for most of them, and three years for some of them, and it is just a really fun memory for us because after the season we won’t see each other as much. I am going to miss the juniors too because they were here with me along most of my field hockey journey, and I wish them best of luck during their next season.”
