It could have happened. It almost happened. But unfortunately, it did not happen. On October 5, Holy Child, whose field hockey squad is having its best year since 2008, was beaten by Hackley, the first loss of the season for the Gryphons.

It could have happened. It almost happened. But unfortunately, it did not happen. On October 5, Holy Child, whose field hockey squad is having its best year since 2008, was beaten by Hackley, the first loss of the season for the Gryphons.

The game came down to one goal in the last eight minutes of the game, when Hackley scored on a corner kick. Holy Child’s record is now 8-1.

In this fast-paced game — “The fastest we’ve seen all season,” noted Coach Barbara Lorys — Holy Child players kept up with their opponents. For the most part, the Gryphons stayed in front of the ball and co-Captain Maddy Fitzwilliam made several spectacular plays dodging players as she brought the puck down the field and crossed into the circle.

Back-and-forth, each team played with bursts of intensity. Early in the second half, the Gryphons maintained possession near the goal for nearly four straight minutes. But they could not get the ball past Hornets’ goalie Lilianna Khosrowshahi.

On the defensive end, the Gryphons did a good job blocking shots, clearing the ball, and transitioning. The one time they fell short was during a Hornet three-minute possession that resulted in the winning goal. Gryphon goalie Charlotte Wertimer had three saves.

Co-Captain Adare Kennedy said, “It was a good game between two evenly matched teams. Unfortunately, we were not able to convert on offense as well as we have in the past few weeks, but our defense really stepped up. The team stayed in it until the end and we look forward to seeing them in the playoffs.”

“We need to hone our passing and work on moving to the ball a little quicker,” said Coach Lorys. “Overall though, we played quite well and stayed in the competition.”

The Gryphons play eight more regular season games before playoffs begin.