In a rematch of the 2009 Baltimore County field hockey championship, No. 12 Hereford once again prevailed over host Towson, 1-0, Wednesday afternoon.
“I have been going against them for quite a few years, and it really doesn’t matter who the better team is,” admitted Hereford coach Tammy Mundie. “We both bring our best game and it is always a battle. We both lost a boat load of seniors, but the intensity is still there because they see each other on JV.”
That same intensity led to a midfield battle for nearly the entire first half, but a second half score from Hereford sophomore Mary Claire Abbott helped the Bulls (4-2 overall) again claim victory over the Generals (0-4), 1-0.
“It was pretty evenly matched,” Mundie said. “We may have had a few more chances in the scoring zone than they did, but we finally broke through in the second half for the win.”
The young Hereford squad is currently riding a four-game winning streak after starting the year with losses to No. 7 Fallston and No. 11 North Harford, 2-0; a streak that Mundie is attributing to a newfound fire.
“I don’t think we started with the fire and intensity that we ended with last year because we had graduated quite a bit of those players,” Mundie said. “It has just been a lot of talking to them, getting them fired up, and I think they are starting to take it.
I think this win over Towson is surely going to help. It shows them that when they can played fire up and play with a lot of intensity, it will turn in their direction.”
The Bulls are lead by their three senior captains: seniors Allie Hackbarth, Gabby Vorwald and Meghan Rock, but there are also a number of either newcomers or players who are just now seeing legitimate playing time that make up the 2010 roster.
In her third year of varsity, junior goalie Missy Betsill totaled five saves on Wednesday, and, in her second year for varsity, sophomore Lacey Aghazarian is continuing to turn heads.
“She is just a little spit fire out there,” Mundie said of Aghazarian. “She just plays with a lot of intensity and a lot of heart and she really goes for it.”
Trying to find their first win of the season, the Generals next play at Dulaney Saturday, while the Bulls look to make it five straight when they take on Loch Raven Wednesday.
“Our goal is always to get to the county championship game and the state championship game,” Mundie said. “That is the goal every year, no matter whom we lose or what the record is. We have been there a few times and we have won a few championships, so every year they make it there goal and we are going to do the best we can to get there.”
