This piece was submitted by Emily McCurry (1o, J&C)

Manual’s junior varsity field hockey team defeated Ballard in a hard-fought game on Tuesday, winning 2-1. This is the team’s first win of the regular season. 

Ballard scored the first goal of the game within the first 10 minutes of the match, setting the game’s tone. The score remained 1-0 for the first half.

After conceding a goal during the first half, Manual became more aggressive in the second half, scoring two goals to secure the win. 

Maddie Bowers (11, YPAS) scored a goal with 12 minutes left in the second half. 

Minutes later, Taylor Clark (9, VA) scored the second goal for the Crimsons with eight minutes left in the game.

Defense was crucial to the Crimsons’ success. Emma Hulsmeyer (10, HSU) made a crucial save near the end of the game when she blocked the ball from going inside the cage, preventing Ballard from scoring another goal. 

“It felt great to get the stop. I knew that [the score] was 1-2 with limited time remaining, and I wasn’t going to allow it to go in,” Hulsmeyer said.  

The crowd was ecstatic when Manual scored their second goal. Everyone in the stands was yelling and clapping. 

“It’s just so fun. I love coming to field hockey games. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, the energy is always so high,” Lauren Spencer, a Ballard student who attended Manual her freshman year, said. 

The players were also very content with the outcome of the game. 

“I am very happy with the outcome of the game because it reflects us as a team and what I know we are capable of,” Audrey Neukomm (10, MST) said. “Some key players really fought through it and influenced other members of the team to match their efforts, leading to the win in the end.” 

The junior varsity field hockey team will play Assumption on Sept. 10 at 6:30 at Assumption.