High School Field Hockey: Eastern Powers Past Cherokee Monday, October 17, 2005 By Crystal Parker SJSports Staff Writer It’s not that easy being labeled as one of the best teams not only in our area, but also in the state. So what kind of pressure would a team have when they have been considered the fifth best team in the country? The Lady Vikings from Eastern was that team taking on the competition’s quest to see what it takes to defeat a highly ranked field hockey team. Cherokee would be next in line looking to pick up an important win with the cutoff date to make it to the playoffs only days away. Eastern broke this Olympic Conference game wide open at the start of the second half with two quick goals and went on to defeat Cherokee by an 8-0 margin. With the win, Eastern has now captured their seventh straight Olympic Conference American Division title. This upcoming Friday is that important date to teams needing to finish with a five hundred percentage record or better to qualify for the upcoming state tournament. Cherokee was one of those teams starting the week off knowing they needed to win both games this week to have a chance to extend their season. The undefeated Lady Vikings would Cherokee’s first test they would have to pass and the way the first half ended, the Lady Chiefs looked to have a chance. Hannah Dawson would score the game’s first goal when Justin Allen assisted on the play for Eastern. The Lady Chiefs defense would be tested early and often as the Vikings’ offense relentlessly kept the pressure on. That determination paid off when Megan Bain scored from Megan Dawson with 10:28 remaining in the half. Eastern would hold a 2-0 advantage at the start of the second half. But that’s when Eastern would score six times which included Dawson scoring her second goal of the game on a penalty shot. She would finish the game with three goals while Bryn Bain contributed two goals. Lyndsie Johnson would pick up the shutout in goal for Eastern. Photos by Art Redd