Sometimes in sports, David does not take down Goliath. Quite frequently in fact, superior teams dominate opponents that just cannot match up against them. Because it is so incredible when the underdog takes down the giant, fans and causal observers alike tend to sensationalize the outcome of the game and thus legends are born.
Such legends were not born this weekend. The women’s hockey team, in the role of David, was slain unmercifully by two Goliaths on consecutive days. Yet, the attitude of the team remains optimistic. Players on the team attribute this to their never-say-die approach to hockey.
“Out of a lot of teams in the NESCAC, we have a lot of heart,” said Liz Courtney ’04. “We always go out there and play hard and we have more team chemistry than any other team in the league.”
The games, against Middlebury and Williams respectively, had many similarities. Both foes got on the scoreboard quickly in the first period and took advantage of the Cardinals’ mistakes. Passes were hurried, shots were not on net, and penalties were taken out of frustration. To win these games, the Cards were going to have to play perfect hockey. It was not to be this weekend as they were downed 9-0 on Friday and on Saturday 5-0.
“Obviously, playing two nationally ranked teams in one weekend is a tough hand to be dealt,” Courtney said. “But you just go out there and play hard and give it everything you have. Last year we went into this same weekend and came out of it with a tie to Middlebury and a close loss to Williams. This weekend things went a little differently.”
The bitter taste of defeat is something that the team will not allow to stay fresh in their mouths. There is a definite sense of urgency coming from the players that things need to turn around quickly in Camp Cardinal.
“We need to win,” said captain Natasha Clauson ’04. “I hate answering these types of questions, it is simple: We are just going to win.”
But it was not a week of complete misery for the Cardinals. Tuesday night Wes upended a UMass-Boston team looking for an unsuspecting victim with a 4-3 victory. Led by a couple of breakaway goals, the scoring prowess of Anna Siliciano ’05 (1 G, 2 A) and a team effort that can best be described as tenacious, an important victory was won. Also tallying points on the score sheet were goal scorers Jenna Bonczewski ’06, Frances Jacobus-Parker ’05, and Jamie Wendel ’07. Jess Pearce ’06, Meghan Frederico ’05, and even goalie Meredith Katz ’07 were credited with assists in the game. The game left a lasting mark of happiness on the players.
“That was an important win,” Clauson said. “We played well, scored goals. Clearly it was a big game for us.”
The next stretch of games, starting this Tuesday at home against the Trinity Bantams, are against teams that have fallen to the Cardinals earlier in the hockey season. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Wesleyan Arena.
“The next three teams we are playing, we have beaten all of them once already this season, so we should beat them again,” Clauson said. “As long as we have the same intensity, which we always have, there should be no problems.“
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