The people and stories behind a generational team.
By Alex Diamond
When you walk into the gym at Field you are met by walls adorned with red and blue banners, each with a year and sport telling the story of a season of effort and passion. Soon a new banner will be added, one the school has waited over a decade to be able to pin onto the white-painted brick walls.
Thanks to the efforts of the Girls Varsity Soccer Team and their coaches Graham Turner and Alexis Redford-Maung Maung. Their hard work and dedication culminated on Tuesday the 2nd of November when they faced Washington International School (WIS) away in the PVAC Championship game.
The Championship game just like the rest of the season was exceptional. Field’s team made sure the many hours spent practicing after school paid off. Despite suffering a 5-3 loss to the same W.I.S team they would face in the finals earlier in the season, Field’s heroic group never lost any of the belief that had helped to take the team to the cusp of glory. That fervent, pseudo-religious belief in themselves and each other was obvious to see on the field and they played with bravery hard to find at any level of the sport. Hannah Topol, a Junior and member of this historic group described that feeling, saying “I didn’t really think we could beat W.I.S at the start, but after those first five minutes I started to believe we could win.”
That belief remained throughout the rest of the game, it only grew with every tackle and pass the Falcons took on. Field’s passion was met by the Red Devils that opposed them, who deserve great credit for their own incredible season; at halftime neither team had managed to score, finding themselves to be evenly matched in almost every aspect. Field responded in the second half with an intensity not seen in the first, this intensity overwhelmed the opposition as W.I.S dropped closer to their own goal with each Field push forward. These pushes culminated in the goal scored by Colleen Cranna and the two more by Addison Kafele. All three goals were well-taken chances, ones that a team at a lesser level of intensity wouldn’t have created or finished.
Off the pitch many Field students took the initiative and made the trip to Washington International School on their own, the cross country team even ran nearly 6 miles overall just to see the first half. Field’s supporters were vocal all game with constant chanting, cheering, and applause in response to everything their classmates and friends accomplished during the game; this included everything from heartwarming shouts of encouragement to the players to gasps of amazement after bits of skill from the players. This support did not go unnoticed by the coaches, Field coach Graham Turner commented on the fans“It was so great to see so many fans show up to that game, we all felt it definitely the players felt it. It was incredible.” Those fans became a raucous group after each goal, it was glorious scenes whenever the ball made contact with the back of the net, with the bleachers occupied by the fans erupted into a state of euphoria almost instantly as Field’s supporters ran close as they could to the field; hugging each other screaming in joy as they did so. Although the best of the celebration came after the final whistle. When, after thirteen years of waiting, Field students ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the incredible team that had just claimed the status of the PVAC’s finest.
Yet this story is far more than just one game, it started on August 23rd when preseason began in the summer heat and continued until November 9th when Field School took on Georgetown Day School in the DCSAA State Championship Playoffs, where their miracle season came to an end despite their best efforts. Just like the game against W.I.S, the Field fan turnout was immense, those fans applauded the players after the game, they had made the school proud. Furthermore, the Falcons are still waiting for their banner; Coach Turner explained“The banner got sent to the neutral location where the boys game was held, we haven’t gotten it back maybe I need to get Brandon on the phone”
Unfortunately, although not surprisingly, despite the incredible effort and passion that went into this incredible achievement it has so far gone ignored, with the Washington Post dedicating a full 441-word story completed with photos and interviews to the Boy’s Championship game while almost completely ignoring the Girl’s Championship only mentioning the game once in a 19-word sentence. This didn’t surprise Graham Turner, who commented “Alexis and I have actually been chatting about that, how there was nothing about us” he continued saying “The level of skill in women’s sports isn’t different from the level in men’s sports, you go to a game and it’s still incredible, incredible soccer and that goes for other women sports too” he finished with a summary “Am I surprised? No, do I wish it could change? Yes”
This is shameful, the efforts that made Field’s miracle season deserve more than 19 words. The Girl’s Championship is worth more than just 4.31% of the Boy’s Championship.