(Andrew Ribner/Photo Editor)
After suffering a tough 2-1 loss to Little Three rival Williams College this past Saturday, the Wesleyan field hockey team headed to Hamilton College for a 2-0 win and their first NESCAC victory of the season.
Wesleyan came out dominant in the opening minutes of Saturday’s contest against Williams, securing penalty corners and setting up scoring opportunities early on. Co-captain Morgan McCauley ’12 put Wesleyan on the board just seven minutes in by receiving the ball off a penalty corner and dribbling her way around two Ephs defenders before placing a shot on goal that found the back of the net.
After the Cardinals early one-goal lead, the remainder of the first half featured a battle for possession in the midfield and scoring opportunities that both sides failed to convert. Wesleyan regained possession in the midfield throughout the half due to the solid strength of the Cardinal defense, sparking offensive attacks on the Williams goal. An attempt by McCauley to put the Cardinals ahead by two going into the half proved unsuccessful, as her shot with just seconds left rolled wide of the goal.
Williams brought the pressure in the second half, securing three penalty corners in the first five minutes, but the Wesleyan defense kept them off the scoreboard. Williams was not left searching for a goal for long, however, as just nine minutes into the second half, a pass from Caitlin Conlon found Margie Fulton on the left side of the Wesleyan cage. Fulton put a shot into the bottom right corner of the cage, past the outstretched Cardinals goalkeeper, to get the equalizer for the Ephs.
Wesleyan responded by increasing the pressure on the offensive end, but the Cardinals had trouble finding the back of the net. Williams capitalized on its chances in the second half, scoring another goal with just 17 minutes remaining in the contest. Williams midfielder Emily Jablonski took possession on the right side near the end line, crossing the ball to the middle of the field, where Conlon deflected the ball past the Wesleyan goalkeeper to put the Ephs ahead 2-1.
The Cardinals continued to pressure the Williams half of the field in search of an equalizer to send the game to overtime. With ten minutes remaining, Taryn Murray ’13 made a streaking run along the left sideline to the front of the Williams goal, but was unable to get a shot off as the Ephs’ defense stood its ground. Williams made the 2-1 score stand, coming away victorious in the Little Three rivalry game and leaving Wesleyan in search of its first NESCAC win of the season.
The Cardinals rebounded quickly from the tough loss to Williams, traveling to Hamilton College on Sunday and picking up a 2-0 win against the Continentals for the team’s first NESCAC victory.
The Cardinals maintained possession for most of the game, amassing a 19-9 shot advantage and collecting 16 penalty corners in the contest. Wesleyan’s first goal originated on a penalty corner with just one minute remaining in the first half. Co-captain Liz Chabot ’12 started the play, directing a pass to Taylor Wells ’14, whose shot at the Hamilton goal was redirected by Averill Roberto ’13 into the back of the net. Roberto’s first goal of the year gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Wesleyan added another goal just four minutes into the second half, when Jess Hanway ’15 regained possession off a blocked shot and sent the ball back towards the Hamilton cage for a goal, which gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead that would eventually be the final score. Wesleyan goalkeeper Tori Redding ’13 ended the contest with four saves, collecting her second shutout of the season.
The Cardinals (3-3) return to action this Saturday, as they travel to Vermont to take on the eighth-ranked Middlebury College Panthers (2-2) before returning to Wesleyan to host Colby College (0-4) at Smith Field at 2 p.m. on Sunday.