With the last week of the Fountain Valley High School Field Hockey official season over, the seniors on the team only have memories to hold them of the FV field hockey moments in the past years. The Lady Barons ended the season with a strong determination and great teamwork.

On Tuesday, October 25, FV played a home game vs. Marina High School. Varsity played hard in the first half and it came out as a tie. Unfortunately, the Barons were scored on twice more and the ending score was a loss of 3-1. JV played after, determined to even out the score with the Marina Vikings. The jv team fought it out hard on the field and scored once.  The Vikings unfortunately got in a goal with a short corner still in the first half, but within the next 5 minutes, the Barons shot another goal and scored. In the second half, both teams came close, but neither scored, resulting in a Baron victory 2-1.

Two days later, the Field Hockey team played their last game of the season at Huntington Beach High School. Seniors were consciously aware that this was their last field hockey game as Barons.  And so varsity went onto the field ready to give their all to the last game before next year, or for some seniors, the last official field hockey game of their life. HB came fast and furious, shooting on varsity goalie Alex Capuano (\’12) nonstop, whom even stopped one goal by performing the splits in all her goalie padding, being a spectacular sight. The defense did a great job, especially senior Nichole Schwartz (\’12), who noticeably contributed to the game greatly. Unfortunately, the Varsity team lost, 0-5. JV also did a wonderful job, being the first team to score on the field, and holding the upper hand, 1-0, during halftime. Unfortunately, the Oilers came back determined and scored three times, finalizing the score 1-3.

It was a roller coaster of a year for everyone on the team, but in the end, the Barons did not make it to the LAFHA playoffs.

The varsity team played strong and hard in the first half of the game and pushed through to half-time at 1-0, Barons in the lead. Unfortunately, in the second half of the game, Edison scored once, making it a tie at 1-1. The teams went into 10 minutes of overtime with seven players on seven players. Through the intense overtime session, both teams came close, but neither scored, finalizing the score to 1-1. Unfortunately, JV lost, the score at 0-3.

And in the same week, the Lady Barons played the Westminster Lions. Barons was scored on immediately in the first half, but gave it back in less than 10 minutes. The score at half-time was 1-1. In the second half, the Lions scored again, and the results ended at a Fountain Valley loss of 1-2. JV played afterwards and they fought hard and scored a victory over Westminster. The winning prize was a shut-out score of 3-0.

The Westminster game is the third to last game of the Fountain Valley Field Hockey season, and then if our Barons can make it, the LAFHA playoffs. Keep playing hard and end the season strong ladies!

The next day, Tuesday the 11th, the lady Barons played another home game against the Huntington Beach Oilers. Varsity player Kathy Vu (\’12) was mildly injured, but definitely needed stitches. Unfortunately both teams lost, varsity 0-3 and jv 0-2.

Thursday, October 13, the team played the Newport Harbor Sailors. Within the first half of the varsity game, the Barons scored once. However, after half-time, Newport Harbor also scored once, finalizing the tie to 1-1 by the end of the game. The match went on into ten minutes of overtime and the Sailors unfortunately scored once more. The final score went down to a varsity defeat, the score at 1-2.

Jv played hard the first half, but let in three goals. They persisted and no goals went in during the second half of the match. The jv ended up in defeat being 0-3.

FVHS varsity field hockey players scrimmaging before a game

Fountain Valley High School\’s varsity field hockey team finished a successful season by advancing to the playoffs. Early in the season the Barons scored many victories against Edison (2-1), Westminster (3-1 and 3-0), and against Marina (3-2).  Unfortunately they lost to Glendora, 2-1; nevertheless, the Lady Barons should stand tall and proud for a fantastic season and for remaining an aggressive force until the very end.

The Field Hockey season began with a memorable win against the Barons\’ biggest adversary Edison.  At halftime, Fountain Valley had fallen behind with a score of 1-0, but swiftly scored to tie things up early in the second half.  They managed to score another point with only five minutes left, emerging victorious with a final score of 2-1.

Seniors Jacqueline Alison O\’Farrell and Taylor Merickel led the successful 2010 field hockey season as team captains.  One of the youngest players, Sophomore Emily Brucelas, led the team in scoring.  Alex Capuano was a superb goalie and made countless saves throughout the season.

Coach Kerri Marr was a major reason behind the girls\’ excellent field hockey abilities.  The players were expected to attend practice every weekday from 3:15 PM  to 4:30 PM.  Practice was filled with rigorous exercises such as one mile warm up runs, field sprints, and scrimmages.  Every day at practice, Coach Marr would shout encouraging comments and suggestions for the girls to improve, constantly noting their progress.

Coach Marr warmly commented on the 2010 season by saying, “The girls played really well and I’m proud of them.  Our girls never gave up and really played to win every game.  Next year we will work on scoring more goals and not just making it to play-offs but making it to the final game.”

While our Girls\’ Field Hockey team is full of fantastic players, there\’s one who knows the game inside and out better than anyone else.

Master of her “funky stick”, Jacqueline Aleson- O\’Farrell (\’11) is the Left Forward on the Varsity Girls\’ Field Hockey team.

I had the luck of interviewing Jacque earlier in the season about how our mighty Barons were doing this year. Her experience with the game is quite extensive, having joined the team freshmen year and making Varsity on her first try.

Not many students at our school know about our Field Hockey team. Jacque herself came to know of the sport from a stray flyer she saw. It\’s quite a shame that many students aren\’t seemingly aware of how well it ranks. Field Hockey just barely missed play-offs these last three years. And, considering the honest fact that many students have no idea what\’s going on with the Field Hockey team, this means the Lady Barons have been fighting their own battles with little support while consistently still coming out on top.

Jacque describes this year as one of the best, saying, “This season, we started out really strong, [and] we\’re going to keep trying harder.” The team has been improving with each year, and although many players have come and gone out on the field, they have shared a positive attitude with the team that keeps growing stronger.

As Jacque recalls, “In seasons of the past we\’ve had some amazing players like Ashley Woody, Alyssa Warren, and Jennifer Shultz and they\’ve been amazing. I hope we have more players that keep coming in [like them].”

This growing morale is a great environment for plenty of students out there who are considering trying something new and definitely rewarding.

The Field Hockey team isn\’t just effective on the field. The team has helped many players grow and mature during their time here at FVHS. Jacque has taken away from her four years on the team a renewed competitive spirit as well greater athleticism and confidence in herself. Games will be won and lost from time to time, but it\’s what the players take from the game that will last in the end; Jacque has taken some great memories that I am sure she will never forget.

Dominic Ragland

Baron Banner: Are you a part of any extra curricular activities or other sports that you\’re involved in?
Dominic Ragland: Nope, just football

BB: How many years have you been playing football?
DR: Well, I started as a freshman and now I\’m a three-year letterman.

BB: What universities you plan on attending after high school?
DR: Well, I\’m still waiting for scholarships, but I\’d like to go to San Diego State University, Arizona State, or the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

BB: Have you decided on a major?
DR: Kinesiology, because I\’m really interested in health and how the body works.

BB: How do you feel about our football team this year?
DR: We have been really dedicated, committed, and hardworking to succeed in our games. It\’s our year.

BB: How do you feel about the bell game?
DR: Oh, it\’s going to be a whiteout game and we\’re going to get the bell back this year.

BB: Do you have any advice for other athletes?
DR: Play like you\’re the best person on the field, no one can stop you.

BB: Well, that\’s it. Thank you.
DR: No problem.

Ashley Woody

Baron Banner: You\’re involved in both surf and field hockey, which one do you prefer?
Ashley Woody: Well, surfing is more relaxing and fun, whereas field hockey is more challenging. While surfing, it\’s really about how well I do as an individual, but field hockey is a lot more about teamwork.

BB: How many years have you been competing in both sports?
AW: I\’m a three-year letterman in field hockey and I\’ve been surfing ever since I was eight years old.

BB: What university do you plan on attending after high school?
AW: Either Humbolt State or UC Santa Cruz.

BB: How do you feel about our field hockey team this season?
AW: So far it has been a really successful year. We were undefeated for about six games straight. This is definitely our year.

BB: What do you like to do in your spare time?
AW: Well, usually I\’m busy after school, but on weekends I like to hang out with my friends and play guitar.

BB: Do you have any advice for other athletes?
AW: Only play if you\’re enjoying what you do or else it\’s not worth it.

BB: Well, thank you for your time.
AW: You\’re welcome and thank you.

Fountain Valley has seen one win after another with the Filed Hockey team. Although, the season had just started, various games against other rivalry high schools have taken place, each ending victoriously.

Many players are impulsive for the up-coming season, “The season is going to be amazing and we\’re going to win a lot of games” says Taylor Merickel (‘11).

In addition to that, the team is off to a great start with a 5-0 record. Their first league game was against their biggest opponent, Edison, and was held on a Tuesday afternoon on the Baron\’s home turf. The Lady Barons worked diligently against Edison who was undefeated at the time, and soon, the Barons scored their first goal by distinguished player, Taylor Merickel (‘11).

In the past years, the Chargers and Barons have continuously tied, but many teammates have something to say about today\’s game. “Edison is going down,” says Jacqueline Aleson-O\’Farrell (\’11).  “We\’ve tied with Edison every year and we really want to beat them this year”, says Cheyenne Clark (‘12). “This year we\’re going to eliminate Edison, fear nothing.” Emily Zinn (\’11) With that enthusiastic spirit comes another successful win for the Barons.

Their diligent coach also felt pleased by Tuesday\’s game, “ I feel extremely happy about the Edison game since we won 3-1!  Our girls played very well and never gave up.  We worked together as a team, which created some amazing plays and goals.  This team works together better than any team I have ever coached which is why our season has been so successful in our pre-season games.”

The Lady Barons seem to be off to a great start. Only time can tell if they\’ll make it to their biggest goal, CIF.

FV field hockey played against Marina HS last night at the Vikings’ home field. The Lady Barons started out well with a goal scored by Jennifer Schultz in the first half, but then Marina answered back by scoring a goal of their own.

The score at half time was one to one and the Barons started the second half ready to win. Unfortunately Marina wanted the win more and ended up scoring four more goals in the half with a final score of five to one. The field hockey record is now four wins one tie and five losses. They ended the season in fourth place and are going to play offs next week.

This is a version of Baron Banner Now, a continuously up-to-date page on the Baron Banner Online. Editing takes place as the action occurs.  Read Jennifer Schultz\’s field hockey blog on Blogs! (link at Blogs)

FV field Hockey played against Huntington Beach HS at our home field Tuesday night. The Lady Barons came out ready to fight but the heat soon began to slow them down. They tried to continue to push, but the HB Oilers were not ready to back down. They scored in total five goals against our Lady Barons who unfortunately slowed down toward the end letting three goals in within three minutes. The final score was five to zero. The Field Hockey team’s record is now four wins and three losses for the season.

This is a version of Baron Banner Now, a continously up-to-date page on the Baron Banner Online. Editing takes place as the action occurs.  Read Jennifer Schultz’s field hockey blog on Blogs!