After a defensive battle in the first half, featuring a lot of back-and-forth passing and several attempted shots on the Vista goal, in the third quarter, right mid player Kadence Ly (12) scored the only goal of the game; the Wolverines beat Vista in a 1-0 win on Senior Night, Oct. 21. 

“I was super excited because starting the second half at 0-0, I was just really happy to set the tone of the game,” Ly said. “It was special because I really wanted to score during my senior night.”

In anticipation of the game, Marley Klein (12) said the team was hungry to win and build on their 9-6 record for the league season. She said they expected an easy game from Vista, similar to the 4-0 win against them in late September. 

“This year has been really good compared to other seasons, and we’ve had a good record too,” Klein said. “We’ve had a good mindset going into it. We’ve played [Vista] one other time this season and we played them the previous seasons, and we usually do well.”

The game started off slow for both teams. Ly said that the Wolverines successfully controlled the ball, taking possession back before Vista could make any shots. Klein and the Westview offense consistently pushed onto Vista’s side of the field and into their circle, but couldn’t score. 

“When they got on our side of the field, we would repossess the ball and bring it back,” Ly said. “We pass a lot. [Klein] is really good at dribbling the ball up the field, getting it closer to the circle, and passing it to a teammate. ”

Ly said that the pressure Westview put on Vista’s defense in the first half allowed them to take shots at the goal. But, positioning the players to score proved difficult, which Ly said resulted in the 0-0 standoff of the opening half.

“We have to have a certain positioning to tip the ball [into the goal],” Ly said. “The goalie would be really close to us, so her body would block it with her arms and pads. In those situations, our coach says to pass it to someone else who could try to make a shot.”

The Wolverines came out for the second half with a refocused energy.

“After not scoring in the first half, we were all really restless and wanted to score,” Ly said. “Our coach always tells us it’s about who wants it more. Both teams came into the second half with their 110% because whoever scores first sets the tone of the game.”

Westview’s offense started strong, frequently entering Vista’s circle to get closer to the goal. Consequently, the Wolverines gained more corners than in the first half.

Ly said she was determined to make her last regular-season game on the Westview field memorable. With just under eight minutes on the clock in the third quarter, Ly began the tie-breaker play by passing the ball outside the circle to Kallie Tripiano (12) who gained possession of the ball and reverse-swept it into an open space on the field. Ly dashed to the ball and dribbled it towards the sidelines.

“Once I had good footing, I pushed it past the goalie into the goal,” Ly said.

To Ly, this goal was unlike any other that she’d scored in her high school career. It was the point that won the game, the only point scored for her senior night, and she was surrounded by her friends. The team celebrated, hugging Ly as they rushed onto the field.

“It felt good closing off my high school field hockey career on a high note by scoring on my last home game,” Ly said. “It was really special to hug my teammates after because it was a big team effort.”

Ly said that she felt extra emotional when she heard her name being cheered in the stands, but the team stayed focused with a plan: to always play like the score is 0-0. Vista wouldn’t let them win easily and fought to even the score. 

“We were definitely hungry to get more, so after solidifying one goal, we wanted to get more,” Ly said. “The rest of the game was a lot of back and forth.”

Within the first minute of the fourth quarter, Klein took a shot from the top of the circle. The ball deflected off a Vista player’s stick, went out of bounds, and broke. The unexpected turn of events led to the referees’ indecision of who had possession of the ball. Each team elected one person to bully, or face off, on the field for repossession. Klein stood face-to-face with a player from Vista, awaiting the whistle to steal the ball first, and representing Westview for the first bully Westview field hockey had seen in years. 

“I kind of didn’t know what I was doing since it was all new to me,” Klein said. “I had never done anything like it before, but it worked out because I locked in and ended up winning the ball.”

Ly, Klein, and four other seniors ended the season in the same way they began: together. As the clock ran down to 0:00, they came together and walked side-by-side towards their goalie. 

“That was super emotional because that was our last home game together,” Ly said. “It just felt really good to begin my field hockey career with them and end it with them.”