William Yu also contributed to this article.
To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Malden High School’s Co-Ed Field Hockey team hosted a pink-out game against non-league opponents, the Amesbury Redhawks. Despite losing to the Redhawks 12-0, the team still celebrated after the game to pay homage to breast cancer advocacy. Even when they fell short, the Tornados constantly pressured Amesberry’s offense and put up a fight against the Redhawks to the end of the game.
At the start of the game, both teams clashed with each other to gain possession of the ball. Possession of the ball became a seesaw game, moving from one end of the field to another, until Amesberry was finally able to create an offensive push and scored the first goal of the game.
After conceding the goal, the Tornados counterattacked against the Redhawks, looking to fire back and redeem themselves. The ball shifted to Malden’s side again, nearly allowing another point. However, the offense from Amesberry wouldn’t let up, leading to another goal for the Redhawks.
A timeout was called by Malden to adjust to Amesberry’s offense. Senior defense player Karliens Petion reflected on the “lack of consistency throughout the game.” After the timeout, the Tornados came out more aggressive.
Amesberry player #16 led an offensive attack on Malden. The constant pressure on the Tornados’ defense led to another goal being conceded, concluding the first quarter.
The second quarter began with Senior Captain Frankie Marenghi-Pellino inbounding the ball to Malden. With a fresh start, the Tornados came out more aggressive, with hope to pull off an upset.
Both teams were determined to fight for the ball; neither side would let up the ball, with each possession potentially risking a goal.
Players like Petion battled it out for the ball and Senior Captain and goalie Yawen Zuo threw her body in front of the net like a shield to prevent any goals.
In the second quarter, Malden’s defense withstood the Redhawks attacks. Blocking a penalty shot from Amesberry by assembling a wall in front of their goal. Although Malden wasn’t able to get a full grasp on the ball, their defense was enough to prevent shot attempts.
As the third quarter started, a new set of players were swapped onto the field. With the addition of new players in their lineup, the Redhawks were able to quickly create a push on the Tornados’ side. Although Malden fought back to clear the ball out, Amesberry stuck to the ball, soon leading to another goal.
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