The field hockey team recorded its first NESCAC win of the season and ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday by defeating Bates 3-0 on the road in Lewiston, Maine. The Cardinals, who have now won nine straight against the Bobcats, improved to 2-4 on the season with a 1-2 Conference record.
“It was a great feeling to get our first NESCAC win,” said Captain Hannah Plappert ’16. “We just need to keep this momentum and continue to execute what we’re practicing.”
From the first whistle, the Cardinals took control of the game and set the pace of play by keeping possession in their offensive half. Although the Bobcats were able to get eight shots off in the first half, the Cardinals held them to only three penalty corners during that time.
“We did a great job of controlling the game right from the start,” Plappert said. “We had smart passes and really good transitions out of our defensive end. I thought the team did a great job of playing with intensity for a full 70 minutes.”
The Cardinals finally converted on a penalty corner with five minutes remaining in the first half when Vanessa Block ’15 received the inbound pass from Lauren Yue ’17. Block took a shot that deflected off a Bates defender and ended up at the back of the net inside the left post, giving the Cards a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
After the halftime break, the Cardinals looked to pick up where they left off, but the Bobcats had other plans. For the first 20 minutes of play in the second half, the Cardinals faced five shots and six penalty corners, but none led to any damage.
“I think that we definitely dominated throughout the entire game,” said Captain Anna Howard ’15. “In the second half, Bates came out a little stronger, but we were able to quickly adapt and counter it with our own offense.”
In the 57th minute, the Cards had their lone penalty corner of the second half. After receiving the inlet pass, Plappert took the Cardinals’ first shot of the second half, which was blocked by the Bobcats’ net minder. The ball deflected to the other side of the net where attacker Mackey Hemphill ’15 was waiting to put the rebound in and the Cardinals up 2-0. Six minutes later, Plappert, with a goal of her own, gave the Cardinals a commanding 3-0 lead with seven minutes to play.
“We used the back ball pretty well throughout the game, and that enabled us to open up the field more and give us more opportunities to score,” Howard said.
Although the Bobcats applied the pressure early in the second half, the Cardinals’ defense and their goalie, Sara Grundy ’16, stayed strong. Grundy made four saves in her second shutout of the season on Saturday.
“The win feels great, especially it being a NESCAC win,” Howard said. “We just need to keep playing and perfecting our game.”
After four games on the road where they went 1-3, the Cardinals finally return home to Smith Field on Tuesday, September 23rd at 7 p.m. to take on 17th-ranked Mount Holyoke. Since 1995, the Cardinals have faced the Lyons 19 times and have only lost in two of those encounters, most recently last season.
Over this span of 19 games, the Cardinals have outscored the Lyons 67-19 and recorded six shutouts. In addition, the Cardinals have not lost to the Lyons on their home turf since the 1985 season when the Cardinals fell 3-0 to the visiting Lyons. The Cardinals look to carry their momentum from Saturday’s game into Tuesday night’s game as they get set to take on another strong opponent.
“Tuesday will definitely be a great game,” Plappert said. “We’re excited to play Mount Holyoke again, and we hope to get another win.”