After the varsity field hockey team suffered a sizeable loss versus Ann Arbor Skyline, it had four days to prepare for its next opponent in Dexter, a top-notch program. The Dreadnaughts are a spectacular team from Dexter, Michigan so Forest Hills knew it would be a dogfight. 

Coming into the game, Forest Hills prepared for a state championship-contending team as its` opponent. Dexter proved to be the team that was favored as it got off to a fast start. Offensively, FHC struggled to keep the ball on the offensive side of the field which led to many Dreadnought goals. By the time it was halftime, Forest Hills trailed 5-0 and it seemed to be defeated on all levels. However, the girls proved the exact opposite; the team had a new juice to it. 

“I feel like that halftime could be a changing point in the team’s season,” head coach Gabriella Coty said. “From that point on, we’ve played much cleaner ball, and it has shown.”

Forest Hills shut out the Dreadnaughts in the second half. The main reason for this was that the offense had possession for the rest of the game. Results appeared as Maddie Shaner scored a goal to break the scoring drought; Cami Kell had the assist on the goal. Goalie Alayna Gschwind had 14 saves on the game, most of them coming in the second half. In the end, the Dreadnaughts would come away with a 5-1 win.

Moving on to Saturday’s first game, FH took on a solid Grosse Pointe South team. The Blue Devils proved to be a hard-working team in this game. In a back-and-forth battle, Forest Hills would control the possession battle. The team had many opportunities to score, which resulted in a big play from Julia Brown. Maddie Shaner penetrated the middle and dropped it off to Brown for the goal. Lexi Slywka started at goalie this game and had a pleasant game. Although she only had 4 saves, she only let in two goals. Forest Hills could not convert on any more goals, resulting in a 2-1 win for the Blue Devils. 

The girls faced University Ligget in their last game of the weekend. They continued to show their new identity and dominated the possession for the game. Logan Kirkwood led Forest Hills with one goal and one assist. Raven Kincaid had one goal as well, and Cami Kell dished out one assist. The team’s passing was a bright spot against the Knights; they played clean ball and came out with a 2-1 victory. Lexi Slywka had 4 saves again and only gave up one goal. Defensively, the team played well and made it hard for the Knights to get good shots on the net.   

The varsity field hockey team may have found a new identity in its play style. Controlling the pace of the game and playing clean ball has led to competitive games. Forest Hills moves to 3-6-1 on the season. The girls take on Novi this Wednesday at Novi.