The field hockey team suffered a tough 1-0 defeat to Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday, Sept. 24. With the close loss, the Cardinals fell to 2-4 on the season, while the Lyons improved to 8-0.
After the game, the Cardinals were proud of their performance against such a tough opponent despite the outcome.
“We played great against Mount Holyoke,” said Captain Blair Ingraham ’14. “We connected really well through our passing and had some beautiful plays up and down the field.”
The game was very even throughout and could have swung in either team’s favor. The Lyons outshot the Cardinals 14-12, while Wesleyan had 13 penalty corners compared to Mount Holyoke’s 12.
“The offense did a nice job of drawing corners,” Ingraham commented. “We dominated a lot of the game, but we just couldn’t score.”
The lone goal of the game came four minutes into the second half. Although the Cardinals continuously put pressure on the Lyons’ defense, getting off seven shots on goal in the second half, they could not prevail.
Nonetheless, Ingraham was pleased with the way the team was consistent with its passing, did a good job of overlapping the midfielders, and had strong stick skills, particularly on the defensive end of the field. The team’s biggest weakness that Ingraham pointed out was its inability to score.
Goalie Sara Grundy ’16 once again was strong in net, allowing one out of eight shots on goal while saving seven. Defender Lilah Fones ’15 made two miraculous stops when Grundy was caught out of position to keep the game from slipping out of reach. With this strong effort put forth, Grundy improved her season save percentage to .792.
Although the field hockey team did not come out on top, it showed a lot of potential going forward. By keeping up with Mount Holyoke, a team currently ranked 20th in Division III in NCAA.com’s power rankings, the Cardinals proved to their competitors that they are contenders in any game.
“We’re looking forward to [continuing] to connect the rest of the season,” Ingraham said. “We will continue to work hard in practice and focus on the things that will improve our teamwork and help us score.”
Once again, the field hockey team is on the road this weekend. The Cards travel down to Clinton, N.Y. to face NESCAC rival Hamilton this Saturday at noon. The Continentals are 2-3 on the season, also with a 1-2 record in the NESCAC.
“Hamilton is a NESCAC team,” Ingraham stated. “Like with all NESCAC teams, we’re expecting a hard-fought battle and a win.”
The Cardinals look to step up their game to another level this Saturday to guarantee a win and place themselves into contention to make a serious run at the NESCAC tournament.