The squad couldn't find enough against Williams or Trinity, putting its postseason in jeopardy.
Jonas Powell, Photo Editor
The Wesleyan field hockey team hosted its last game of the 2015 regular season on Saturday, Oct. 17 against Little Three rival Williams. Prior to the start of the game, Wesleyan acknowledged the four members of the team who were playing in their last game at Smith Field in a Cardinals’ uniform: Hannah Plappert ’16, Caitlin Majewski ’16, Michaela Celella ’16, and Sara Grundy ’16. The Birds huddled together one last time before the first whistle, and their enthusiastic cheer made it clear they were ready to give it their all for the seniors.
A minute into the game, the Cardinals were forced to defend the Ephs’ first penalty corner of the game. Grundy, however, was not challenged as the shot sailed wide. The Ephs would test Grundy’s net minding skills throughout the first half, but to no avail. After an early offensive push by the Ephs, the two teams settled in and played very evenly matched hockey. The Cardinals were finally able to push the attack when they were awarded their first and only penalty corner of the half with 12 minutes remaining. As has been a common theme for the Cardinals all season, they took advantage of their opportunity. Lauren Yue ’17 inserted her pass to Plappert, who controlled the ball at the top of the circle and blasted a shot past the Ephs’ goalie to give Wes a 1-0 lead. Only a minute after Plappert’s goal, the Ephs had three chances to draw even with back-to-back-to-back corners. Grundy and the defense stood strong as they thwarted all three of the Ephs’ chances. In the first 35 minutes of play, she faced six shots and she turned back every one of them.
Jonas Powell, Photo Editor
“Grundy continues to amaze me,” Majewski commented. “She has been an unbelievable presence this year. I think she sets the tone across the field in games like that. It’s hard not to work harder when you watch her make such an incredible save.”
The second half began in a similar fashion to the start of the game, with the Ephs pressing the attack. As the clock approached the 10th minute of play since the restart, the Ephs centered a pass that was controlled by a Williams player, who shot and beat Grundy to draw the score level at one. With the game now tied, the Ephs found new life and took control of the game. With 13:30 remaining in regulation the Ephs were awarded their ninth corner. Unlike their previous eight, this time they were successful in getting the ball past Grundy and took a 2-1 lead. Emotions and tension ran high in the last three minutes as the Cardinals had four corners, but were unable to convert on any of them.
“It’s hard when you are up a goal because it is easy to become complacent, and that’s what happened to us against Williams,” Majewski said. “We need a full 70 minutes of competitive field hockey to get those wins.”
The weight of the loss was palpable for everyone in attendance. The Cardinals gave it their all, and it showed as the three senior captains were crying and embracing each other after the game knowing this was their last time playing on their home turf.
“I feel really thankful to have such great memories on Smith Field,” Plappert said. “I am absolutely going to miss playing there with my teammates.”
While the 2-1 loss to the Ephs marked the last home game of the season, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Cardinals took I-91N to Hartford to take on in-state rival, Trinity. Despite Grundy’s solid performance, in which she recorded her third straight game with at least 10 saves, the Cards struggled to generate offense as the Bantams outshot them 18-5.
The home side took a 1-0 lead late in the first half. After Grundy made the initial save, the Bantams controlled the rebound and found the back of the net. In the second half, the Trinity took a commanding 2-0 leading, but the Cardinals dialed it up and put up a fight. Less than 10 minutes after their second goal, the Bantams saw their lead cut in half, as Plappert converted a penalty stroke with 12 minutes remaining. Despite several attempts, the Cardinals could not produce that all-important tying goal and lost by the score of 2-1 for the second straight game.
“Our Trinity game was a tough loss because we had the momentum of a stroke at the end of the game,” Majewski stated. “I think the takeaway is that we need to connect as a team from the first minute of the game.”
The Cardinals head into their last two games of the regular season with an overall record of 4-9 (2-6 NESCAC). For the Cardinals to have a chance of making the NESCAC Tournament, they must win their matchup at Amherst on Saturday, Oct. 24 and at Connecticut College on Wednesday, Oct. 28th are must wins.
“At this point in the season, we are fine-tuning our skills,” Plappert said. “For defense, that means clean block tackles and strong clears. For offense, we are really focusing on ball control and finishing in the circle. Saturday will definitely be a great game, we all feel really excited to get out there and compete.”