Davis whacks Gilroy in a show of field hockey dominance

Women's varsity field hockey team cools down after 2-1 victory over Gilroy.
Women’s varsity field hockey team cools down after 2-1 victory over Gilroy.

By Claire Bachand,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Davis High’s women’s varsity field hockey team played one of its most important games against Gilroy High on Friday, Oct. 14, and took home a 2-1 victory.

“If we win this we will look very good,” junior Chloe Deamer said leading up to the game. “They are a very big rival. The game tomorrow isn’t going to be about who is better, it’s going to be about who wants it more.”

Apparently, Davis wanted it more.

Seniors Darby Maguire and Nicole Pugh each earned one point for the Devils in the first half, giving Davis a 2-0 lead at halftime.

The second half consisted of a lot of back and forth between the two sides, as well as several fouls. At one point, Pugh was nearly hit in the face by a hockey stick.

Still, Davis held onto its two point lead thanks to excellent teamwork and passing, as well strong defensive plays by junior Shekinah Prewitt and senior Anna Riesenberg, offensive drives by Pugh and vigilant goal-keeping by junior Autumn Johansson until the last three minutes of the game when Gilroy forced in a goal.

Soon after this, there was confusion over the stop clock when it reached zero a minute or so early, frustrating fans and coaches alike. Despite these end-of-game complications, the Devils came out victorious.

“We didn’t let them play us, we played them,” Maguire said, referring to the Devil’s dominance throughout the match.

Coach Sandie Marroti-Huckins attributes this win to teamwork and points out that it is a meaningful victory for her team.

“We have been working for this our entire season,” Maguire agreed.

Gilroy is an out-of-league team, and over the course of the season, the field hockey team only plays five such teams, all of which are well-ranked. These matches tend to be the toughest ones for the Devils.

“This is how we improve ourselves,” Marrati-Huckins said, explaining that playing competitive matches allows her team to learn and develop.

So far this season Davis has played four teams that are not in their league, and they have won three of these game, losing only to Archbishop Mitty High School. Since Gilroy beat Mitty, Maguire sees Davis’ victory over Gilroy as redemption for that loss.

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