After a difficult 1-0 loss to Amherst in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, the 2013 field hockey season has come to an end. The Cardinals, who entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, gave the top-seeded Lord Jeffs everything they had, but Wesleyan could not overcome its imposing foe.
“I thought we played a great game against Amherst,” said captain Blair Ingraham ’14. “We came out strong and put the pressure on early and they did the same. Their passing game was strong but I thought we did a great job of stepping up and intercepting passes and shots.”
Unlike the last time the two teams met, this game was a battle of defenses. In the previous encounter, the two combined to score 7 goals on 25 shots with Amherst prevailing 4-3; this time, the Lord Jeffs were held to 11 shots on goal, while the Cardinals got off just 6 on the Amherst goalie.
“The defense really stepped it up, which helped the midfielders and forwards continue to work hard,” said Captain Taylor Wells ’14.
With just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, the Lord Jeffs scored the lone goal of the game off a penalty corner that got past goalie Sara Grundy ’16.
“It was really back and forth,” said Captain Amber Bruckner ’14. “We had possession for a good majority of the first half, but Amherst just capitalized on one of its penalty corners to win the game. The game was very competitive and went down to the last seconds.”
Despite being down 1-0 to the top seed in the tournament, the Cardinals never stopped fighting. They had a couple of great opportunities, especially late in the second half, but they just could not break through.
“We had a lot of opportunities in the circle,” Bruckner said. “Our shots were just inches off and we unfortunately weren’t able to put it all together and score.”
The field hockey teamed finished with an overall record of 6-9 and 4-6 in the NESCAC. Wells looked back fondly on her last season as a Cardinal.
“The season was a blast,” she said. “And we were able to balance working hard while appreciating our teammates, which made me look forward to our practices on Smith Field every day.”
Although the team would have liked to have done better in the NESCAC tournament, it has a lot to be proud of.
“Wesleyan field hockey had a great season,” Ingraham said. “Although we didn’t reach our goals of winning the Little Three and getting a home NESCAC playoff game, we made the NESCAC tournament and played a very strong game against the number one team in the league. We had a really tough schedule this year, and I’m very proud with the strength, determination, and persistence we showed against some of the best teams in the country. Most importantly, we had an awesome time with each other.”
Coming into this season, there were a lot of questions about who would be able to fill the gaps left by the previous year’s graduating class, but team members stepped up. Grundy in particular rose to the challenge this year. In her first season as the starting goalie, Grundy gave up 27 goals while making 103 saves, giving her a season save percentage of .792.
“The team far exceeded expectations, everybody really stepped up to fill the shoes of the seniors that we lost last year,” Bruckner said. “We were a very young and talented team and I see real potential in all the returning players.”
Although the Cardinals are losing three of their top four point leaders (Bruckner, Ingraham, and Wells), the Cardinals will be returning a lot of talented and experienced players.
“Next year’s team will be very strong,” Wells said. “Since there are only three seniors graduating, there are a lot of returning players and their potential is very exciting.”
The returning players will look to build on the foundation formed by this year’s team and have the potential to win the Little Three and be strong contenders in the league tournament.
“I’m confident that next year’s team will have a strong presence in the NESCAC,” Ingraham said. “There are a lot of young players who have gained experience and will continue to develop into great players, [and I know] the returners will step up and lead the team to a great season.”