The Potomac Falls Girls Field Hockey team is more than a group of athletes. It’s a group of busy, diligent high school girls that work together as one unit, practicing grit, patience, motivation, and dedication—on and off the turf.
One of the fall sports offered at Potomac Falls High School (PFHS) is Girls Field Hockey. This team of 24 girls works together daily to improve their skills, habits, coordination, and teamwork.
It is not an easy task to manage school life, social life, and, on top of that, a sports life. Here is how this group of girls is able to stay on top of all aspects of life while still striving for excellence on the field.
Like most teams, one of the most important values to this team is the relationships the girls have with each other.
“My favorite thing about the team is the love all the girls have for each other, and how supportive everyone is. Our team has a really special bond,” said junior Ciara Donaldson.
The atmosphere of a game is greatly determined by the chemistry of a team, and these girls never fail to put all they can into games, practice, and cheering on each other.
“I joined field hockey as a junior, and I knew almost no one on the team at first, but over time, the other girls truly became the best support system both on and off the field,” said senior Captain Julia Franklin.
This team went through a couple big transitions this season—the biggest one being a new coaching staff. In addition to a few players graduating this past year, a whole new coaching staff was introduced. The girls have been working hard with their new head coach, Krissy Huller, and their new assistant coach, Paige Anderson, to find a new, strong rhythm.
This season hasn’t been an easy one for these girls, with lots of close, unfortunate losses. Still, the resilience this team possesses remains. After falling to Freedom 2-6 earlier this season, the varsity squad came back to defeat the Eagles 3-0 with goals by Franklin and senior Lauren McManus on Sep. 29 .
“We do a team walk before every game and just talk about how much fun we will have, win or lose, and it’s really what helps us bond through the stress. A lot of us also pray before every game which is a super special thing that helps keep our heads in the right place,” said Franklin.
These girls are focused on more than themselves; they’re focused on improving the sports atmosphere for all high school athletes. For the match up against Freedom, the team wore matching warm up shirts in support of the Morgan’s Message mental health organization. Franklin is the president of the PFHS chapter of Morgan’s Message and used her involvement in field hockey to support the club’s message by organizing a dedication game.
“It’s really important to me to support the mental health of students in our school, especially my teammates,” said Franklin. “So discussing our mission and promoting at the game was good for everyone in the community.”
In addition to warm-up shirts, the team wore matching ribbons and made posters to hang throughout the stadium and promote awareness. Before the game began, Franklin and her fellow Morgan’s Message officers made a speech about mental health and their mission.
Students, athletes, friends—this team does it all. PFHS girls field hockey is setting an example for young high school athletes by showing them that it’s possible to practice, participate in school, and pump each other up—one pass at a time.