Junior defender Makenzie Switzer and senior midfielder Laine Delmotte try to keep up with a New Hampshire player. (Photo courtesy of University of New Hampshire Athletics)
The field hockey team (3-1 overall) played its first away games of the season this weekend, winning 3-0 against Dartmouth College (0-2 overall) on Sept. 6 before falling 3-0 to the University of New Hampshire (2-2) on Sept. 8.
Friday’s match against Dartmouth at Chase Field in Hanover, New Hampshire saw both teams scoreless through the first quarter. The Maroon and White broke the deadlock at the beginning of the second period when sophomore defender Lena Thedrian scored her first goal of the season, putting the Leopards ahead 1-0.
“It was definitely a great feeling to score my first goal,” Thedrian said. “The goal would not have been possible without the hard work of all of my other teammates before it though. So I would say it was a team achievement and I was just the lucky one to play the last ball into the net. Nonetheless, I was very happy.”
Last year’s Patriot League Rookie of the Year, sophomore forward Stella Malinowski, extended the lead with a goal to begin the second half, converting a rebound in front of the cage to make it a 2-0 game.
In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Malinowski intercepted a Dartmouth outlet pass and set up senior forward Alex Darrah at the top of the circle. Darrah unleashed a powerful shot with just 20 seconds remaining, sealing the 3-0 win for the Leopards.
Although Dartmouth earned more penalty corners (5-4), the Maroon and White dominated in total shots and shots-on-goal, with 18-7 and 11-1 advantages, respectively. Junior goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni made a crucial save to secure the shutout and make it three consecutive wins to start the season for the Leopards.
“I think this far we started our season very strong,” sophomore midfielder Naomi George said. “It is good to see that the work we put in during pre-season and the summer is paying off.”
“We are playing very well as a team and as a connected unit on the field,” she continued.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and White, the team could not maintain its undefeated streak, losing two days later in a shutout against the University of New Hampshire.
The Wildcats took an early lead with a first-period goal and the Leopards failed to respond as the Wildcats tallied two more goals in the second period to go up 3-0 into halftime.
While the Leopards created more penalty corner opportunities with a 7-3 advantage, the team was outshot overall 11-9.
“As a team, we try to focus more so on the process than the end goal,” George said. “We just want to keep improving and playing a good game of hockey. I think if we are able to do that, we will be very satisfied with the results that follow.”
Despite Fragomeni’s five saves throughout the game, the Maroon and White could not mount a comeback. The game remained 3-0 at the final whistle, ending the Leopards’ unbeaten, three-game winning streak.
Thedrian said that the game against New Hampshire was a “hard pill to swallow.”
“It’s great to have a game like that in the beginning of the season,” she said. “It shows us what areas we need to improve in to prepare us better for upcoming games and our first Patriot League game in two weeks.”
The Leopards will return home today to face Quinnipiac University for their Pancreatic Cancer Awareness game at 6 p.m.
“It is our last out of season home game before our first Patriot League home game,” Thedrian said. “It will be great to be back at Rappolt [Field] after a long weekend away.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-12 21:12:00
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