Posters taped to gates, bouquets of flowers, red cups in the fences forming the word “seniors” and a heart; all are the ingredients of a typical field hockey senior night. The game was against Lake Braddock, one of the rivals of the AHS field hockey team. Due to the rain, the game, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 13, was rescheduled to Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. It was therefore re-named “senior day.”

Seniors were escorted by their parents as personal speeches about their plans for college, jokes with friends and outlooks on the season were played over the loudspeakers.

Once the senior night traditions were over, the players arranged themselves on the field to put their best to the test against the Bruins.

However, Lake Braddock scored in the first half, and once again in the second, resulting in 0-2 loss for the Atoms. Despite the two goals allowed, the Atoms’ defense remained strong as ever, as Lake Braddock was able to score on only two of its 16 corner shots.

“I think we tried our hardest, and we’re going to try even harder for districts” junior Kalie Rosati said.

This final loss pits the team against Lake Braddock again tonight in the first round of districts. If they win the match-up, they will be guaranteed a spot in regionals.

Though the team finished the regular season with a 2-11 record, the district games are what truly count, and many games have been cancelled or postponed. Furthermore, many players and coaches remain optimistic about the remainder of the season.

“Our players have kept a positive attitude and worked hard all season. They have steadily improved their skills, conditioning and team strategies and grown together as a team,” Head Coach Cindy Hook said.

Several contributing factors have also gotten the team to where they are today. As players look back upon their season so far, they can reflect on how they have improved and how they can continuously progress.

“Team cohesion [is key]. We have grown as a team, both individually as players and as a whole. We’re all ready for districts [because] we all want it and that’s going to be important,” senior Kenzi Wright said.

With many positive opinions concerning the team’s progress, it is clear that districts will be a spectacle of the team’s skills and improvement no matter what the outcome.

The team has been preparing for this “test” all season long, and it is now their time to shine and represent AHS at districts.

“I am very confident that the AHS varsity field hockey team has been battle-tested, is hungry to score, has a new and improved rock-solid teamwork,” Hook said. “[They are] ready to play their best hockey of the season [and] they are ready to win.”