Liberty Field Hockey Blog Aug. 19

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017
5:02 p.m.

It has been a fun last two days with Liberty field hockey. We took off from East Campus yesterday around 12:20 for Williamsburg. We arrived at Waller Mill Park a little before 4 p.m. for an activity day with the William & Mary Tribe field hockey team.

Jacki had laser tags guns and a sweet setup for outdoor laser tag in the woods. We played four-minute rounds, and I got to play one round with the seniors. It was over 90 degrees, so it made for a very warm day. One girl on the W & M team accidently stepped in a hornet’s nest and got stung by a ton of them during the game.

The Tribe team also made burgers and chicken and had other food for us, which was very nice. There was also an assortment of games, including Spikeball and horseshoes. After eating, Jacki and I got in a game of horseshoes against Tess and Mark (the William & Mary coaching staff). Carolyn and Victoria also ended up playing with us as well.

After taking a group picture around 5:50, we headed for the bus and then the hotel. We arrived at the hotel and had a short meeting before the girls had regen.

I got in a 5K run on a steamy and muggy evening in Williamsburg. Later on, the girls came by our room for snacks.

Nikki, Nat, Joey, Joey and I watched Live PD for a little bit from 9:30-10:20 or so. I was able to work in field hockey game notes before bed.

Today, I woke up around 7:45 and got in a run with Nat starting just a little after 8. We did just under three miles with very high humidity (99%) again. The breakfast spread had a bevy of good options, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, coffee, bacon, etc. While waiting for my omelet, I got to talking with Greer about running. She has ran three full marathons and loves to run. It was cool to be able to talk running with someone who enjoys it.

While sitting with a big group of them, we got to talking about favorite movies among other topics. I also had to make sure to tell Greer I was sorry for her loss of Steve Irwin, and we asked him where she was when it happened.

At 10:45, we met in the meeting space for chapel. Coach Nikki shared what was on her heart, and then we went into a time of worship. It’s always great to see the focus turned towards the Lord during this time.

We arrived at Busch Field just after noon and waited on the bus for a few minutes before heading out to the field. Prior to the game, I headed down to the field to take photos for the Instagram story. I also touched base with their SID, Jacob Skipper, who ran the scoreboard.

It was another good learning experience inputting stats. Mal put us on top, 1-0, as she tipped in a ball on a penalty corner late in the first half. William & Mary scored with 12 seconds left in the half to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the half.

In the second half, Moniek put us ahead again with a nifty goal after weaving through two defenders and beating the Tribe goalkeeper with a backhand shot. William & Mary tied it up shortly after before Agui put us ahead for good with a rocket backhanded strike into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Some parents and fans made the trip, so the girls mingled with them before heading to the bus. We had a preorder from Chipotle, so Gary (our bus driver) took us there to pick up the food before heading out of town.

On the bus, the coaches debriefed the game with the girls. Now, everybody is just chilling out with about an hour left in the ride.

Our first regular-season game is a week from today at home against James Madison at 1 p.m.