The Annandale Atoms field hockey team is off to a fantastic start to another season with a 9-3 record at the time of writing, coming off a great win against the Justice Wolves . The team is aiming to win another district championship and build connections to grow as a team.
The team has some big shoes to fill with losing nine seniors this season. They are not letting that hold them back though. The atoms have won both their first two district games by mercy rule and have recently defeated Edison High School here at Annandale. This early success within the district competition is very promising and leads many to believe they have a great chance of winning districts once again.
Sophomore Ana Crittenden is loving the dynamic of this year’s team.”We work really well together.” Crittenden said. “We’re always covering for each other and finding each other on the field.” Other players have more they would like to see the team work on and get better at.
Junior Miriam Popp wants to see better conversion on shots. “A weakness would probably be scoring consistently and being aggressive in the circle and offensive half of the field.” Popp said. Although Popp is a fan of their team play and chemistry. “A strength we have as a team is definitely our ability to make the correct passes and work together to move the ball around, even when there’s a turnover.”
One of the best parts of the team is the different views the players have for the team and each other. Senior Callia Uviedo thinks the team has great toughness. “A strength we have as a team would be that we are extremely resilient and receptive to constructive criticism!” Uviedo said.
Being resilient is one of the most important parts of a team. Without trying again and again you will not grow as a team. While being strong and together as a team is very important Uviedo thinks the team chemistry may cause some problems at times.
“One area of improvement for the team is our ability to focus,” Uviedo said, “because we are all friends on the team we tend to goof off a little too much and sometimes need to be put back on track.”
Chemistry between teammates is such an amazing gift to have. Team chemistry benefits not only the players but the coaches as well. Having relationships as teammates helps with play on the field and at practice. A strong connection between a team helps them to perform on the same page as the rest of the team.
Uviedo and other teammates like to build and grow their team chemistry through a variety of ways.
“Our team builds chemistry by team bonding such as team dinners, team games, and even just practices together.”
Team dinners are a very common and fun way to bond and learn more about other teammates. Popp also enjoys bonding with the team and does so in multiple ways:
“We build team chemistry by hanging out outside of practice, going to peoples houses or getting food together” Popp said, “being friendly to each other and helping each other when we need help, even in school, really builds that team chemistry and camaraderie that we need in order to be successful on the field.”
Junior Miriam Popp is a very impactful player on the team. Popp is a very quick player who uses her skills to gain an advantage over the competition.
“A strength that I definitely have is my speed,” Popp said, “ making it easier for me to be effective and control the ball and keep it from the other team,”
Being quick with the ball is a great skill to have. Being able to accelerate and change directions quickly is an important skill, making defending her quite difficult.
Players always have areas of their game they can work to improve on. One aspect of Popp’s game she thinks is weak is her offensive production. She is great at controlling the ball and passing but would like to see better results from her shots this season, “While a weakness would definitely be my shots, as they’re pretty inconsistent.” Popp said.
The team has seen great improvement from last year in terms of games won. Last year the Atoms fell short of beating Meridian High School.
On August 25th the Atoms took down the Mustangs in a 2-1 win. Their win over the Mustangs was the perfect start to the season helping to set the tone for the rest of the season.
The team has gone 8-3 since that game and hoped to defeat the Edison Eagles on September 29th, results were not available at press time Sunday.
Come support your Atoms at Annandale when they play the Hayfield Hawks on October 7, the Atoms play at Falls Church High School on October 9 and would love your support at the game cheering them on.