On the left sleeve were Nolan’s initials, near the front-and-center pink lettering spelling “FIGHT” with a ribbon for the “I.”
“It’s hard to put into words,” Nolan said. “It makes me feel like sharing my story and my journey with them made a difference. We really are just a family here.”
The Falcons broke out their shirts again Wednesday against Bishop Ireton for their final regular season game. It was a pivotal contest for seeding in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs, and Good Counsel’s 3-0 victory earned it second place in the league.
The game was one of the most important on the calendar for reasons much greater than the result on the field: It was the program’s annual breast cancer awareness game.
The cause has been a rallying cry of the program since Nolan’s diagnosis in 2020. When the calendar flips to October, the Falcons open their closets and pull out their pink accessories: socks, ribbons and, in the case of the goalies, jerseys. Sometimes, Coach Kelly Massino is asked what her school’s colors actually are.
“We’re always talking about things that are bigger than just ourselves,” senior Caitlin Bossle said. “Especially in this month, to be able to find a bigger purpose in our game — playing for a cause, trying to support a cause and playing for someone like Coach Nolan — is really important.”
The Falcons’ shirts Wednesday featured a new addition: a yellow duck with an “M” printed on it on the right sleeve. It offered a tribute to Good Counsel student Madison Smith, who died days earlier after a battle with cancer. Smith kept a stuffed duck with her for comfort from childhood on during her fight with the disease. Massino sported a hat with a rubber duck emblem and also placed a yellow ribbon in her hair.
“I am extremely proud of [the players with] the adversity that they are fighting through right now because it is extremely tough to lose someone that was very valued to people in our program,” Massino said. “The biggest thing that we really focus on as a program is not just playing really good field hockey but making sure that they are working together and really coming together as a family.”
Nolan’s diagnosis led to treatment that was especially daunting during the coronavirus pandemic. She said the Good Counsel community offered unrelenting support to lift her spirits when she needed it most.
Nolan received countless cards, flowers and bracelets from her team, with players checking in through texts and Zoom calls. Massino also helped arrange gift baskets from players’ families.
This year marked Nolan’s three-year anniversary of learning she was cancer-free, and the team kept up its tradition by gifting her flowers and a bracelet reading “survivor” in Morse code. Even though the most experienced players on this year’s squad were just coming into the program when Nolan’s scans came back clear, their passion for the cause is undeniable.
Before Wednesday’s game, players went around the school selling items to raise money for breast cancer research. During the contest, members of the Falcons’ junior varsity squad traversed the bleachers selling pink pompoms to spectators.
“This program has always been like my biggest support system,” Nolan said. “… For me, and for all those other women out there fighting, it just means a lot.”