Northwest High School vs Damascus High School

Photo courtesy of Victor O'Neill Studios After six games, Damascus field hockey remains atop the North division in Montgomery County with a 3-0 record, and has assumed a 5-1 record overall. On Saturday, the Hornets only added onto that dominant resume, defeating division opponent Northwest in controlling fashion, 8-0. It didn’t take long for Damascus to assert its presence. Quickly establishing possession in their attacking end, the Hornets drew a penalty and capitalized on the ensuing shot just under two minutes into the action. But things had only just gotten started. A turnover on the following faceoff granted Damascus a prime counterattacking opportunity, and it had numbers to show for. Though the possession resulted in a giveaway deep in Jaguars territory, it set up a long sequence of attacking events in the offensive zone. Eventually, the Hornets’ sheer power and technique with the ball proved too much for Northwest to handle. A Damascus attacker charged right through the teeth of the defense before spinning with the ball in her possession and unleashing a point-blank shot on net. Though the attempt was saved, it was quickly corralled by another Damascus attacker and shoved into the back of the cage. By the end of the first quarter, the Hornets had already stacked together four goals, and looked to be the dominant force it was made out to be. It was clear that Northwest needed a response, and quickly, if it wanted to salvage any hope of a comeback. Instead, things turned more sour. The Jaguars struggled to make inroads in the offensive end. Any time a pass was attempted to the flanks to spark an attack, a Hornet midfielder was there to swipe the ball away and head in the other direction. Meanwhile, multiple Jaguar defensive fouls gave Damascus repeated looks at the cage, and it continued to pepper the outmatched Northwest goalkeeper with shots on penalty corners. Almost four minutes into the second frame, the Hornets finally broke through for its first score of the quarter. By halftime, the game was already 7-0 and out of the reach of Northwest, who has only captured a win over Gaithersburg this season — an 8-0 victory on opening night. Meanwhile, looking ahead for Damascus, contests against Whitman and Einstein in three and four weeks time, respectively, should serve as massive measuring sticks heading into what should be a tightly contested postseason landscape in Montgomery County.