The girls finished the season at home on senior night against Paint Branch. The 13 seniors were honored in a ceremony before the game. The girls finished with a dominant 2-0 victory heading into the playoffs. 

Once the regular season ends and playoffs begin, it’s practically a whole new season, and any team can come out on top no matter their record. The girls finished the regular season with a strong 7-5 record, giving them a bye and a trip straight to the regional semi-finals against Quince Orchard on Nov. 1. 

The girls had extra motivation to win this game after Quince Orchard had recently beat them in the regular season, with a game-winning goal late in the fourth quarter. There was tension in the air as the girls arrived at Quince Orchard’s field. Throughout the week, Wootton and Quince Orchard fans talked smack through social media. Wootton took this personally, playing aggressively the entire game. Quince Orchard took an early lead, but it didn’t last long. Sophomore Naomi Esterowitz easily got around the defense and took a perfectly placed shot into the top right corner of the goal to tie the game 1-1. Both teams played great defense throughout the rest of the game and overtime, leading to penalty shots to decide the winner. Senior goalie Jenna Seibert had an outstanding game, saving six of seven shots including a game-winning save. The girls rushed the field to celebrate the win. “The atmosphere was unreal. I love these girls so much and this has been the highlight of my year,” senior Gail Karimi said.

The girls traveled to their rival Churchill for their regional championship on Nov. 3. The Bulldog offense was strong, but the Patriots defense stepped up in the first half, keeping the score at 0-0 going into halftime. Churchill scored two goals in the fourth quarter, ending the Patriots’ season.

The girls worked hard together every day in practice and games, building friendships on and off the field. “I’m really sad about the end of the field hockey season. I cried on senior night and when we played QO for the first round of playoffs because I didn’t want to let go of this team. Everyone is so special to me,” senior Carrie Wang said.

Now that the season is over, the girls are taking this extra time to catch up on schoolwork. “I will be grinding on my college applications due in November and January,” Wang said.

To cap off the season, the girls will be having a team banquet on Nov. 21.