After Robinson Secondary School’s 5-2 varsity field hockey loss to Lake Braddock on Sept. 3, Head Coach Katy Garvey asked her beleaguered squad if they had given her their absolute best effort.
"You guys beat West Springfield and they beat Chantilly and Oakton," said Garvey, after the game. "I know we're better than this. We need to pick up the intensity, play with passion."
The Rams match with Lake Braddock was highlighted by early mistakes that led to a quick 2-0 deficit, numerous missed scoring opportunities and a lack of communication.
"It's very frustrating," Garvey said. "We've been working on so much in practice and the team just didn't come out ready for Lake Braddock. We need to take a long hard look at ourselves."
Garvey said that she knows her team is capable of playing against top teams, but her squad's true talent didn't show up against a motivated Lake Braddock team.
"All hope is not lost, it's just one game," she said. "But we play in the Concorde District and, in my opinion, it's one of the toughest districts field hockey-wise."
Though the game was not one of the Rams’ finest moments, the score doesn't reflect Robinson’s actual scoring chances.
Senior Marcy Bowdren was able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity in the first half, charging down the field and unleashing a heavy shot that gave Robinson a chance to come back.
"I felt like if one person started it off, it would be a chain reaction," Bowdren said. "I just play hard every game and hope it helps my team. I'm like a kamikaze. I'm aggressive, maybe not the most skilled, but aggressive."
Bowdren's goal did breathe some life into the Rams early in the game, but the team struggled to score on penalty corners shots and had numerous chances that simply couldn't beat the Lake Braddock goaltender.
In the second half, Robinson was finally able to score another goal courtesy of sophomore Megan Gallogly, but the game already was out of reach.
"I was happy I scored, but I wanted to win," Gallogly said. "We really need to step up our game."
Even though Bowdren's play stood out the Rams, she said it takes a team effort to win.
"It was tough," she said. "[Lake Braddock] has a great team and we need to pick it up as we enter district play," she said. "We have to run more, focus more on practice and work on the little things."
Robinson is now 1-1 for the season with a victory over West Springfield High School, but Garvey said it's back to basics to get the team on track.
"We need to correct the simple things like pulls and stick-to-stick passing," she said. "It's not hard stuff, just quick little fixes, but we've got to be better