Field Hockey falls to #5 JPG, thumps Wilson on senior day

Senior Day was a success for 7 Ireton seniors in their first field hockey season as they posted a big win over Wilson High School Monday on Fannon Field.

Fifth ranked Pope John Paul the Great looked like too much talent, too soon for the first-year Bishop Ireton Cardinals field hockey squad. But you couldn’t tell any disparity for the majority of the game as the Wolves needed 3 goals in the final five minutes to finally put the game out of reach from those pesky Cardinals on Friday in a 4-0 affair in Dumfries.

“John Paul the Great’s head coach, Erin Baker, was very complimentary of the effort and skill our girls demonstrated,” commented varsity assistant coach, Betty Sixsmith. “Until the end of the game, when we got tired, we gave them all they could handle. I was very pleased with our effort as was Coach Simons.”

Indeed, the Wolves scored in the opening minutes of the contest, but after that the undermanned Cardinals held their own. The rescheduled contest on Friday of a long weekend put some seniors in previously scheduled college visits, but the girls on the field made their presence known.

The 1-0 Wolves’ advantage stood through the first half and deep into the game until the home team solved the Ireton defense and an exhausted group of Cardinals momentarily faltered defensively.

The senior day contest with the first-year program from Woodrow Wilson demonstrated the team and staff’s efforts are taking hold and Friday results were a strong case for the progress of the Cardinals’ newest program as they thumped the Tigers 8-0.

“The seniors played like you expect seniors to play, I was happy with the effort and that they got a big win on senior day.” said Coach Erin Simons. “This was a good opportunity for all the girls to play quite a bit and they responded well.”

Bishop Ireton will complete their first season of field hockey with a game at Holy Cross next Monday before ending the campaign in Washington visiting the DCIAA’s other first year field hockey program, School without Walls on the campus of George Washington University.