Rockets field hockey arrived at Gaithersburg High School on Friday, dressed in all black and intent on coming home with the win. And they did just that, securing a 4-0 shutout. With the sun beating down on the turf, the game started off at a much slower pace compared to the high-energy victory against Rockville last Wednesday. According to goalkeeper and senior captain Sarah Morgan, “We started off very rough. I think we had a lot of difficulty communicating with each other, especially in the first half, and that showed with how we had a lot of missed opportunities to play our game and score more often.”

Gaithersburg threatened the circle more than once, putting up a good fight with hard hits and relentless pressure on RM’s players. In a continued effort to maintain possession, senior captain Devon Goetz finally broke through Gaithersburg’s defense, and put the ball in the net to give the team a 1-0 lead at halftime. “At first, I saw the team playing to a lower level than what they were capable of. At halftime, we definitely re-energized.” said varsity coach Alie Brooks.

Despite their own opinion on their play, RM did rattle the Trojans, who took two time-outs to strategize on how to keep the Rockets from fully taking off. However, the team found their fire in the second half, scoring three more goals back to back to back. Sophomore Ella Scarano led the scoring with two goals — the first goals of her varsity career. “As a team, we really came together in the second half. We had three quick goals almost immediately. It really showed that we were dominating the game, and we just needed to finish,” Morgan reflected.  As the minutes of the second half ticked away, the Rockets were flying full speed ahead, making frequent breakaways and earning offensive corners. RM finished with a 4-0 victory, making them undefeated with no goals scored against them so far this season.

“In the future I see some more wins, some more goals, and I definitely think the underclassmen that are on the team are going to start stepping up and feeling more confident,“ said Coach Brooks. “I think the biggest challenge for this team will be each individual harnessing their skills and growing as a player to give back to their team. Everyone is really strong in one thing, and there’s definitely something that everyone can improve on.”

The 2-0 Rockets will take to the field again next Friday, as they defend their undefeated record against Walter Johnson.