Facing a particularly tough schedule in the 2018 season, the varsity field hockey team has had to face many challenges throughout the beginning of the season. After the first six games, their record was an unexpected 0-6. The team knew that they had to work hard and come together in order to turn the season around.

On Thursday, Sept. 20, coming off of a 6-game losing streak, they needed to beat Montgomery to bounce back from their rough start, and get the ball rolling for the season.

The Lady Raiders were able to put up two goals against their opponent to seal the 2-1 victory. Juniors Emily Buisson and Payton Altman each scored for Hillsborough. On the defensive side, senior goalie Megan Kirby racked up an impressive eighteen saves.

The players put forth their best effort to change the momentum of the season. After the win, the players were excited to continue their season and make a mark in their competitive division. Senior midfielder Gina Dorsey was particularly happy with the win.

“It felt like we had been building this up for a while,” Dorsey said. “Our game had been improving every time we played.”

After their first win, the team returned to the field on Saturday, Sept. 22 and tied Hopewell Valley 3-3 in an intense overtime battle. Although they didn’t pull off another win, the tie shows that the team has improved significantly.

“A tie was not the outcome we hoped for, but we were glad that we didn’t lose again,” senior Amanda Donnelly said. “Now, we can continue to improve and hopefully get more wins.”

Over the next week, the field hockey team will play against Watchung Hills, Phillipsburg, Franklin, and Warren Hills. These games lead up to a competitive rematch against the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers. Hillsborough lost to Bridgewater during the first game of the season; they hope to use their improvements to come back and beat their rival in Counties.