In their home opener of the season, Paly varsity field hockey steamrolled Wilcox with a score of 13-0. The pre-game energy was high, and many of the girls were looking forward to an exciting match. 

“We were pretty confident because the varsity team won against Wilcox last year, but still a little nervous because it was our first game,” Lili Wakenshaw (‘24) said. 

Although there are only a few returning varsity players, and the team is relatively young, the knowledge of a win under their belt from last year carried the Vikings to this astonishing win. A main worry before the game was the team cohesiveness. 

“We haven’t really played [a lot] together,” Wakenshaw said. “Our coach had been sick all week and wasn’t able to show up to the game. It was difficult without [her] to stay motivated, stay focused, but we came together as a team to get the win.”

Even with only a few practices since the beginning of the school year, and a missing coach, senior team captain Kellyn Scheel realized that the interconnectedness the team already has is something really special. 

“It is very rare to have such good connections in your first game of the season,” Scheel said. “I think it  bodes well for the rest of the season, especially against some of the more challenging teams.”  

Although Scheel chalks up this special connection to good fortune, some of the newer players attribute it to others stepping up and helping the team. 

“Kellyn really stepped into [the leadership] role and helped us manage practices this week,” Wakenshaw said, “[She and the other veterans] set us up for success with positioning and just overall stepped into that role.”

The lady vikes are looking forward to their next games and hope that this streak of connection and confidence will continue. Sko Vikes!