The field hockey team shut out the Oakville Tigers with a 2-0 win on October 18.

The game was a first round match up for the state tournament, which Summit entered as the 10 seed and Oakville as the 23 seed. Before the teams faced off, head coach Andy Neil said that the Falcons concentrated countering the team’s speed and hits.

“Against Oakville we were really focused on playing to our strengths and putting effort into being faster than they were. They’re a fast team and they like to take big hits. We scouted them before playing them so those two things were the main focuses we were preparing for,” Neil said.

The first half ended 0-0, and sophomore Addy Timm said that the team was playing well but having trouble scoring.

“Some of our main challenges were just finishing on the goal. I felt like we did a good job containing their offense and stopping their hits but we struggled to convert,” Timm said.

After halftime, Timm put the Falcons on the board with 4:14 left in the third quarter. Schnieders said that the goal built confidence for the team, but also inspired them to keep going to ensure their win.

“We came into the game expecting to win, so when the first half was 0-0 we all kind of took a step back and were like ‘what are we struggling with?’ When we scored that first goal, I think that solidified that we knew we could do it, but it also reminded us that we had to do it again to make sure the win would be secure,” Schnieders said.

The next goal was scored by senior Leah Carron two minutes into the fourth quarter, leading the team to a 2-0 victory. During the second half, Schnieders said that the team’s performance improved, as they worked together and kept the ball near Oakville’s goal.

“I think we struggled a little bit in the first half scoring, but in the second half we picked it up as a team and started working the ball a lot better, and working together to get the ball from defense to offense and keeping it in their 16,” Schnieders said.