Each season, Midlo athletes must say goodbye to the experienced leaders on their teams. On October 24, 2018, the Midlothian Field Hockey team celebrated its seniors during a home game against the Monacan Chiefs.

 Posters featuring pictures of each senior  hung on the fence of the stadium, as each senior entered to receive recognition for years of hard work. Prior to the game, each senior, escorted by her parents, walked through a tunnel of teammates. An announcer shared a brief description of the seniors’ memories from their time playing for Midlo. along with their aspirations for the future. Teammates cheered for their beloved seniors as they walked through the tent of sticks. At the end of the tunnel, each senior received a gift basket accompanied by a bouquet of flowers to thank them for their commitment to the team.

The Field Hockey Class of 2019 includes: captains Zoe Hammond and Maggie DeBruycker, Megan Wunderlich, and Kate White. After devoting countless hours and work to their team, the Midlo seniors each said a bittersweet goodbye to this memorable stage of their lives.

Following the senior festivities, the team fired up for a match rivaling the Chiefs for their final regular season game. Midlo athletes took the field with the intent to take the victory for their seniors. At the blow of the whistle, the game took off. At first the ball traveled up and down the field as each team attempted to take possession. Finally, with nine minutes left in the half, sophomore Charlie Wilkinson gained the ball and hit it to the center of the circle from the sideline. From there, junior Sierra Harrison drove the ball to goal, where Wunderlich finished the job with a tip in.

Midlo maintained its 1-0 lead until halftime and came out the second half ready to rack up more points against the Chiefs. Only eight minutes into the half, they did just that, as Wunderlich secured her second goal of the night with a hard push in from the circle. The Midlo sideline exploded into cheers, as the ball flew past the goalie into the corner of the goal, bringing the score to 2-0.

Following this goal, Midlo knew that they could not let the Chiefs score. They pushed through the second half with determination, even playing down a player for a portion. With less than 20 minutes left in the half, Midlo endured multiple consecutive defensive corners. With the help of the strong defensive line and the reflexes of goalie Kelsey Seiler, Midlo defended its home turf and did not allow any balls into the goal. Finally, Midlo utilized quick passes to carry the ball back to their offensive end, where Wunderlich waited. Cheers erupted from teammates and fans as she scored her third goal of the night, pulling a hat trick.

As the clock ticked down to the end of the game, the teammates sprinted onto the field, hugged their goalie, Seiler, and celebrated their 3-0 victory over Monacan. This proved an emotional night, as seniors shed tears after spending some of their last moments together on the field. Hammond explained, “I am so proud of the team and the way they played tonight. They gave it their all the entire game and really pushed themselves. It was a great senior night, and I can’t thank them enough for that. I really couldn’t have asked for a better team to play on my senior year.”

There is no doubt that the Class of 2019 will be missed, and their impact on Midlo Field Hockey will endure. Next, Midlo prepares to compete in Regionals on Monday, October 29, 2018. Go Midlo!