For the second year in a row, the field hockey team put together a dominating performance to beat Roger Williams University in its season opener. With the 3-1 win, the Cardinals are now 2-0 in head-to-head meetings with the Hawks.
“The game against Roger Williams was a great test for us,” wrote captain Hannah Plappert ’16 in an email to The Argus. “Everyone really clicked on the field, which isn’t something you can coach or practice. It was good stuff!”
The squad was firing on all cylinders and playing like a true team.
“Our team chemistry is great this season and you could really see it on the field on Tuesday night,” captain Michaela Celella ’16 wrote in an email to The Argus. “Passes were connecting well, and when they weren’t, girls were hustling to make the play for their teammates.”
Plappert got the offense going for the Cardinals in the seventh minute of the game when she brought the ball into the arc and buried her shot in the back right corner of the net. Less than three minutes passed before the Hawks responded with a goal of their own.
With the game tied at one, the Cardinals found another gear and dominated the game thereafter. They held the Hawks to only four shots during the first half, while taking six of their own. With less than 15 minutes to go in the half, the Cardinals capitalized on one of their many chances. Captain Caitlin Majewski ’16 found teammate Cici Frattasio ’18 for the put-away and the Birds took 2-1 lead into halftime.
“The team looked great in our season opener,” Majewski wrote in an email to The Argus. “It was encouraging to see all of our hard work pay off. There was great chemistry out on the field.”
Just as they had at the start of the game, the Cards came out firing to open the second half, and once again it paid off. 59 seconds in, Lizzie Horwitz ’19 slotted a pass to Plappert, who once again found the net. Her second goal of the night gave the Cardinals a commanding 3-1 lead, which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
The Hawks would not go quietly, but goalie Sarah Grundy ’16 had an answer for every shot she faced in the second half. She ended the night with six saves for her first win of the season.
“We have been moving around our lineup this year and it was fun to finally see that come together,” Majewski wrote. “I think that moving forward, we need to work on connecting better as a team. But overall it was a great starting point.”
The Cardinals will now get set for their home openers this weekend. They’ll face Babson College on Friday at 5 p.m. and 10th-ranked Wellesley College on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“A win helps build up our confidence as a team as we tackle these tougher opponents,” Celella wrote. “Our formation on the field worked well on Tuesday which is reassuring going into Friday.”
Babson started its season 3-0 and has outscored its opponents 15-1. If the Cardinals hope to avenge their tough 2-1 defeat from last year, they’ll need their defense and a net minder to continue playing their best.
“Our defense is great at keeping composure under pressure,” Plappert wrote. “We have a lot of new strategies at play this season, so I am excited to see how they work against Babson.”
With the confidence boost the team received from its win against the Hawks, the Redbirds are ready to take on the Beavers this weekend.
“Babson was a tough loss last year, but we are definitely ready for a rematch this Friday,” Majewski wrote. “There is a lot of momentum coming off our win against Roger Williams, and it should be a competitive match. We need to connect as a team on the field and apply the fundamentals we’ve been working on. It will definitely be an exciting game.”
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