The field hockey team suffered a tough loss on the road Wednesday afternoon falling 6-1 to the Wellesley College Blue. The Cardinals drop below .500 for the first time this season while the 13th-ranked Blue improve to 4-0.
“Wellesley came out strong today, especially in the attack,” said Captain Anna Howard ’15. “They were able to constantly find their open players, and we were unable to close those gaps on the field.”
The Blue came out firing on all cylinders in the first half, taking an early 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of play.
“Wellesley did a great job of capitalizing on our initial hesitations and starting the game hot by getting a few quick goals,” said Captain Hannah Plappert ’16. “It was hard for us to get out of that slump, but we definitely had a much stronger second half.”
By the end of the first half’s 35 minutes of play, the Blue dominated all aspects of the game with a 5-0 lead and outshot the Cardinals 12-5, but the Cardinals were determined to make their trip to Boston productive.
“We did a better job the second half of controlling the pace of the game and playing to our strengths,” Plappert said. “We need to start every game with that intensity, not wait for a deficit to turn it on.”
Plappert finally put the Cardinals on the board in the 56th minute, but by that point, the damage had already been done. The Blue now led the Cards 6-1.
“We had some trouble playing as a team today, especially in our defensive end,” Howard said. “Normally we are a very solid unit, but we were having trouble communicating with each other and supporting each other.”
Wellesley outshot the Birds 22-11, their most lopsided margin of the season. Wes had allowed just three goals in its opening two games—all allowed in a tight match with defending national champs Bowdoin—before this match.
Having played top-ranked Bowdoin so tightly, the Cardinals know they are capable of playing at an extremely high level, provided they communicate and play strong defense. The question remains, though, where the offense will come from, having scored just two goals in its opening three matches.
The Cardinals have one day before heading back to Boston to take on Babson, so they must put this game behind them and prepare to face the Beavers.
The Cardinals know they are capable of playing at a higher level, and by just working on the fundamentals, they can achieve that level.
“We know that every Wes girl on the field has the skills to command the ball and control the game,” Plappert said. “We just need to have the confidence to take that initiative especially [when] facing quick and strong teams.”
Despite having to travel back up to Boston after a lopsided defeat, the Cardinals are up for the task and plan on coming back with a win.
“We are excited to go back up to Boston for another try,” Plappert said. “We know how to play great hockey; we just need to execute that this Friday.”
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