Senior Abby Cho went up against a Reagan Raiders player in the field hockey game on August 29. Cho plays a key role on defense as center back for the Pirates. Photo by Marcello Luftig.
After starting their season with a win against Cape Fear Academy, the Pirates lost to the Reagan Raiders 3-1 last Thursday night.
The game began with a corner that allowed the Raiders to score their first goal. The Pirate defense kept them from scoring off of a second corner and junior goalie Georgi Armstrong stopped another two shots.
The Pirates were able to recover and move the ball up the field before the buzzer ended the first quarter. The second quarter began with Armstrong blocking another shot on goal before senior Abby Cho stopped the Raiders progress down the field and used a combination of dribbling and passing to hold possession for the Pirates.
Despite the progress, the Raiders scored their second goal halfway through the quarter. Then senior Emmy Smart was able to regain possession and take a shot on goal. The Pirates offense kept pressuring and junior Isabelle Abadie was able to score for the Pirates. The Raiders tried to come back, but the Pirates defense held them. Armstrong recorded her fourth block, and the first half ended at 2-1.
After a Raiders player sustained an injury to start the third quarter, the Pirates were able to maintain good possession of the ball and defend against the Raiders. Riverside took another shot on goal but the Raiders took back possession. The quarter ended with a fifth block by Armstrong.
Reagan used this momentum going into the fourth quarter with an immediate goal, but a collective offensive push by the Pirates, started by junior Grace Arrington, allowed them to bring the ball back up the field.
The Raiders fought back and Pirates senior Quinne Rizzuto blocked a shot on goal using their stick. Reagan took its third corner of the game, but the Pirates’ defense held. Smart made a final breakaway down the field, but Riverside ran out of time and the game ended 3-1.
A team huddle helped turn initial disappointment into excitement and confidence about the rest of the season.
“I felt like we played our best,” Armstrong said. “We got tired towards the end but it wasn’t bad.” This is Armstrong’s first year as a starting goalie for the Pirates. She blocked 5 of 8 shots in the game.
“I really love it,” she said. “I get a lot of feedback from my team and I feel like I have an important role to the team because I’m the only goalie.”
Coach Amy Robertson also named the four captains for the season concluding the game: Rizzuto, Cho, Abadie and junior Rory O’Connor.
Robertson said there’s more to work on, such as clearing the ball out of the circle and making sure the team can lean to the attacking line, but also a lot to look forward to.
“I feel really encouraged by how the team has improved and developed, our defensive organization has improved and the freshmen that have come in have added good energy to the team,” she said.
Riverside’s first conference game is at Carrboro on September 9.
