The Marriotts Ridge field hockey team has had a great season, playing well in the county and making a great run into playoffs. They’ve worked hard all season and were rewarded with the title of regional champions.
Their path to this title started way back in August with summer practices and pre-season preparation. The team then played a great regular season, where the Mustangs earned a 7-3 record and a bye through the first round of playoffs.
“I’m excited for the playoffs. I think we will do pretty well. We piled a lot of dubs and I think we’re gonna catch some more,” said senior Sophia Baxter.
Making it into the playoffs is the goal for almost every team. Athletes dream of winning big games and having a shot to bring home a title. With so much on the line, many of the players are nervous about how the games will go, but still confident in their team’s ability, “You always have to go in with a little bit of nerves but also excitement, so as long as we play our best we will be fine,” Baxter replied.
Nerves are common before every game, but the best players know to trust themselves and their team to come through when it matters most.
The team and their positive mindset proved itself in the Mustang’s first playoff game, blowing out Howard 7-1 and punching their ticket to a regional final match against Mount Hebron. The team had been preparing for this game all season and performed under pressure. Marriotts Ridge came out as regional champions, taking a 3-1 win over the Vikings and moving on into the state playoffs. Their momentum carried into their quarter-final match against Bel Air, where they won 3-1. Even though they finally lost steam against a great River Hill team in the state semi-final match, just getting to this game was a great accomplishment.
Winning so many games took all of the players working together and a strong, positive attitude each game to bring home so many wins, “Our team is really good at working together, especially since everyone is so close to each other,” sophomore Olivia Ober said.
Each player has different strengths and Ober attributes their playoff success was because they were working together so well, “I think we are really good at passing and moving the ball and when we work together it’s when we play our best.” The team focuses on their strengths and works together to improve their overall performance each game.
“We have controlled the ball pretty well and there’s always things we can improve on but for the most part we have done well,” sophomore Kaelyn Krozy added.
There were a few additions to the playoffs team as well, many of the JV field hockey players got pulled up to train with varsity during playoffs. Since they will be on varsity next year, they are getting used to the atmosphere, and ability playing at the varsity level.
Practices during playoffs were different though, the team wants to keep up the hard work that got them so far, without overworking themselves before the next big game. So, they focus on what they can improve on from game to game and structure practice around that.
“[The practices] are kind of chill because we don’t want to do too much, and they’re very point based, we just get to the point and work hard,” Baxter explained. These types of practices ease the players nerves but also help them focus on things to improve for their next game.

“We always do drills that we can improve on from our last games, like specific things to [work on],” Krozy said.
This year, the team improved after every game and this continued dedication brought them all the way into the state playoffs. With a regional championship under their belt, the team is excited to shoot even higher next year.

Gallery • 3 Photos