Field hockey’s first CIF game against Bonita Vista ended in a 1-0 loss, marking the end of their season, Nov. 5. After a stagnant first three quarters, Westview’s defense wasn’t able to block the Barons’ game-winning goal in the final minute of the game.
Forward Vivi Ochoa (11) said that the two teams were evenly matched against each other throughout the majority of the game. However, in the last quarter, a foul was called on Westview, and Bonita Vista was given a corner. Westview’s defense dropped down the field, leaving Bonita Vista’s offense with more players in the shooting circle and giving their opponents an advantage to score.
“Unfortunately, we lost,” Ochoa said. “Each quarter it was 0-0. It all just came down to the last couple of minutes, and it was a really unlucky situation. It was a corner, and it bounced off someone’s stick into the goal.”
According to Ochoa, the opposing team’s goalie was stronger than those they had played during the regular season. Despite Westview’s offensive attempts, many of their shots on goal were blocked, which prevented them from scoring.
“We were very even, and we had a lot of opportunities [to score] in the second and third quarters,” she said. “It was just that they had a really strong goalie. Most of the teams we played in league didn’t have that strong of a goalie, so it was more difficult for us to get shots off of that.”
Despite the loss, Ochoa said she felt that the team put forward their best effort during the game and maintained a determined mindset, leaving the field proud of their performance.
“As a captain, [I] told the girls, ‘you can’t go into thinking about records,’” she said. “You just have to go in with yourself and your own intentions, and be that athlete and want to win. And definitely, you could see the girls shine with that. It just came up to that one mistake.”
Ochoa said that the outcome of the game is a learning experience. The team can focus on moments in the game where they struggled and work to improve for future games.
“One thing I can take from the CIF game is to see our team grow and play at a faster [pace] of [game],” she said. “The team we played in the CIF game definitely had more intensity and faster gameplay. You can tell that they worked hard on the basics, and that’s something our team could work on.”
Ochoa said that the team grew more comfortable with each other as the season progressed. They built a lasting friendship with each other that translated to a strong cohesiveness on the field.
“I would definitely say that the place [where] we grew so much was our team’s connection on and off the field,” Ochoa said. “Our team is really young and with a lot of new faces, [but] by the end of the season, we were able to play [better] and be a more unified team.”
The team’s strong connection and positive mindset are the most important factors to succeeding on the field, according to Ochoa.
“When we all have a connection to each other, we know how each other plays, and we give feedback,” Ochoa said. “That connection and friendship all transfer onto the field, and it helped us a lot with our winning streak at the end of the season. We had a better mentality [than Bonita Vista], and in the end, we were happier. I’m happy that our team is always positive, and I think it shows how we play on the field.”
After every practice, field hockey ended the evening with a chant, reminding them that their team is more than just a group of girls playing a sport; it’s a family built on one thing: unity
“We all had the word on our sticks, and I think that was a pretty good description of how we were at the end of this season,” Ochoa said. “We definitely would call ourselves one unit, and at the end of every practice, for our team cheer, we would say ‘unity,’ because [we’re] like one big family.”
Ochoa said she feels proud of the team’s growth this season and excited to see its improvement in the future.
“I feel like we have such a strong team, and I think our team next year is gonna be mostly seniors, so it’s very similar to what we have already,” Ochoa said. “I’m excited that this [was] a good season, and I’m happy with how we ended, because that just goes to show how much growth we’re going to have next season.”
