On Friday, Sept. 12, McLean’s field hockey team set out to face Bishop O’Connell High School, one of their only games against a private school. In recent years, O’Connell has been one of the Highlanders’ strongest competitors.

The game began, and immediately the Highlanders started playing strong defense, with impressive save after save by senior goalie Lauren Mechem, who had seen nearly every shot possible within the first few minutes of the game. A powerful defensive play by senior defender Paige Bender prevented the Knights from scoring, but with a few minutes left in the first quarter O’Connell managed to get the ball in the goal.

“Our individual defense was really good throughout the game,” senior defender Erin Collins said. “Lauren made some really incredible saves, especially some high shots that she reached at the top of the goal.”

Going into the second quarter down 0-1, the Highlanders were determined to continue fighting hard defensively. As they repeatedly stopped the Knights from scoring, the O’Connell parents began to get rowdy, yelling down at the field. This did not slow the Highlanders, who kept the score 0-1 in the second quarter, not letting anyone get past their solid defense.

“Our game versus O’Connell was likely the most challenging game we’ll play all season,” junior midfielder Eva Braccia said. “We played with a lot of grit and confidence which made us play as a team.”

They took this energy into the third quarter, which left the game at a stalemate. Both teams were playing strong offense and defense, and the ball was moving back and forth between sides of the field. With many foot penalties being called, and a lot of changes in possession, neither team scored, but every player was playing their hardest.

“I’m really proud of how the team worked really well together,” Collins said. “We knew that O’Connell was going to be a difficult team to play, and we just went into it with a mindset that we were going to work as hard as we can and play our best game.”

The fourth quarter went much of the same way, but O’Connell managed to score one more time, putting the Knights up 2-0 over the Highlanders. Although a tough loss for McLean, they know they played well and are confident that they can take this energy to the next game. McLean field hockey will play again on Monday, Sept. 15 against Mount Vernon High School at the Highlander’s home field.

“It was a really good game for us,” Collins said. “We kept our energy high throughout the entire game. We ran hard, played hard, and I’m really proud of the team and how we played.”