Going into a scoreless fourth quarter against St. Ignatius, the field hockey team went back to the basics. After 55 minutes of aggressive play didn’t result in a finish for either team, all it took was one well-placed shot for senior co-captain Makayla Clark to put the Kits on the board and ultimately earn a 1-0 win.

“I’m really proud of the effort of the team,” coach Annie Lesch says. “We made adjustments, one being working the ball up the right side. I knew eventually we were gonna get one in.”

The game began at a fast pace, with both teams taking opportunities in front of the goal but none proving successful. While Evanston (9-2-1) had the majority of possession time, the Wolfpack held them at bay.

With four penalty corners in the first three quarters, the Kits worked a series of plays that couldn’t penetrate St. Ignatius’ defense.

“They defended [our first corner] well,” Lesch says. “We switched up our corners. Then we went back to our strength.”

Evanston returned to the field for the fourth quarter with renewed vigor, especially along the right edge. Senior co-captain GG Hogan and sophomore Sienna Seyferth initiated an aggressive movement to drive the ball closer to their target, keeping the play by the Wolfpack goal for the majority of the quarter.

Less than six minutes until the end of the match, the team received its fifth corner, reverting back to their simplest, strongest strategy. With a pass directly to Makayla Clark, the Wolfpack’s fate was sealed, as a well-placed shot outpaced the St. Ignatius defense to put the Kits on the board.

Field hockey, now on a three-game winning streak, heads to Loyola Sept. 20 for their third conference match of the season. The team’s next home game is on Sept. 27, where they will take on Glenbrook South in another CSL matchup.