Behind sophomore Day Ruffo’s scoring power, the girls’ field hockey team battled the Shrewsbury Colonials and finished with a 3-2 win in a tight home match on Wednesday, October 17.

“I definitely knew that Shrewsbury was going to be a tough team to beat, but I knew that as a team we could stick together and dominate the game by keeping the intensity up,” Ruffo said.

After a few unsuccessful drives in the first half, the score was tied at 0-0. At the start of the second half, Ruffo scored a goal on a rapid breakaway, putting Algonquin ahead 1-0.

Shrewsbury retaliated with a goal scored off of a corner, tying it up 1-1. The Colonials scored another soon after, putting them ahead 2-1.

This, however, did not deter the Tomahawks. Ruffo scored her second goal to tie the game up again with a score of 2-2.

“I was nervous after Shrewsbury scored their first goal,” Ruffo said. “I thought it might get to our heads, but I was happy when we came back with another goal because that meant we had a chance in winning the game.”

At this point, the weather took a turn. Strong winds and heavy rains rolled in as the girls were playing, posing another challenge for the Tomahawks to overcome.

“I definitely felt stressed out, and it didn’t help that we had this random, freezing-cold storm in the middle of it, but I think it definitely pushed us to work a lot harder, and I think we really stepped up our game and played to the best of our abilities,” junior goalie Jordan Manousos said.

With only six minutes remaining in the game, freshman Sabrina Ferro scored Algonquin’s third, game-winning goal, assisted by Ruffo.

”To see all of these girls contributing and still getting better as the season goes on, that’s where you want to be going into playoffs,” head coach Dan Welty said.

The team secured a spot in playoffs on Friday, October 12 against Shepard Hill, and the girls are looking forward to playing their best yet.

“Honestly, I’m just so excited for the hype of the playoffs; it’s gonna be such a fun time,” senior captain Sophie Scearbo said. “Our team has improved so much this year, and I think playoffs will be our peak.”

“I’m so excited [for playoffs]!” Manousos said. “It’s definitely going to be high intensity, but I’m ready! I’m so excited to go in, especially with this team.”