This past weekend, the field hockey team traveled to Maine for a NESCAC doubleheader and returned triumphant, topping the Bates Bobcats 5-1 and the Colby Mules 4-2.
On Saturday, Oct. 6, Wesleyan scored the first goal of the weekend for a lead that lasted the remainder of the game. Ashley McLaren ’13 did the honors with help from a penalty corner assisted by Vanessa Block ’15 and Averill Roberto ’13.
The score held at 1-0 until the 10th minute of the second half, when Roberto took off on a scoring spree and netted the next four goals of the match over a span of 20 minutes. McLaren contributed two assists and Taylor Wells ’14 one to facilitate Roberto’s hot streak.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals were not able to sustain the shutout for goaltender Tori Redding ’13, as the Bobcats got on the board in the 67th minute. To her credit, Redding turned away three shots in the contest.
Even when the score was close, the Cardinals dominated offensively throughout the game as they outshot Bates 13-1 in the first half and 14-4 in the second half. The majority of these were on target, as the Bobcats goalie made 10 saves in what was nonetheless a convincing Cardinal victory.
On Sunday, Oct. 7, the Cardinals traveled further northward to take on Colby. The Mules were the first to score in the contest, with a goal off of a penalty corner at 18:41 in the first half. However, Block responded sooner than two minutes later with an unassisted goal to tie the game 1-1. In the final minutes of the first half, Hannah Plappert ’16 propelled Wesleyan to a 2-1 lead, with credit for the assist going to Wells.
From that point forward, the Cardinals kept the pressure on and notched two more tallies to push the final score to 4-2. Both of these came from penalty corners, with Roberto and Wells earning scoring credit respectively. Wesleyan outshot the Mules 30-11 on the contest, and Redding collected five saves.
Despite facing a total of 16 shots all weekend, Redding was on her toes and only allowed three goals to squeeze past her. In Sunday’s game versus Colby, Wells added two assists and the final goal of the game. Additionally, McLaren took 20 of Wesleyan’s shots this weekend and contributed immensely to the Cardinals’ offensive power.
The most valuable player award of the weekend goes without a doubt to Roberto, who was a force all over the field and netted the go-ahead goals in both games. Roberto also earned herself a spot in the record books on Saturday at Bates by matching the Wesleyan field hockey records for most goals in a game (four) and most points (nine). Roberto now leads the team with seven goals.
After the two wins this weekend, Wesleyan’s overall record stands at 5-4 and 4-3 in the NESCAC. With only three NESCAC games left in regular season action, this past weekend was exactly what the Cardinals needed to keep their hopes of qualifying for the postseason alive.
Next up, the Cards take a break from NESCAC competition as they face two non-conference opponents this week, with a game at home versus UMass-Dartmouth on Thursday and another at Babson College on Sunday.