Field hockey loses to Holy Cross in OT
By Rob Duffy
Writer
The field hockey team fell 3-2 in double overtime at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday to close out the regular season. Despite the loss, the Orange and Blue are still in the Patriot League Tournament this weekend for the first time since 2006.
The Bison fell behind early when Holy Cross scored off of a penalty corner just two minutes and 14 seconds in. The Crusaders quickly followed with another goal, making the score 2-0 at the nine minutes and 29 seconds mark.
The Orange and Blue’s defense kicked in following the second goal, and the Bison did not allow another shot for the remainder of the first half.
Despite the deficit, the Orange and Blue did not give up in the second half. Katie Ruiz ‘09 scored the first goal for the Bison at 3:48, making her sixth goal of the season.
About 10 minutes later, Emily Hutchison ’09 netted her first goal of the season on a penalty stroke to tie the score at two.
“I just tried to block everything out and focus on the goal,” Hutchison said. “Coach [Jeremy Cook] had me practice penalty strokes all last week, so I was feeling confident.”
The Bison outshot Holy Cross 12-3 in the second half, but Crusader goalie Erin Singleton had eight saves to prevent the Orange and Blue from taking the lead. Regulation ended with the score still tied.
In the first overtime, the Bison outshot the Crusaders 5-3, but once again failed to get the ball into the goal.
Then, 34 seconds into the second overtime, Holy Cross forward Kristen Schulz put a low pass into the right side of the Bison goal, winning the game for the Crusaders.
“Obviously we didn’t get the outcome we expected, but with every game there are lessons learned,” Hutchison said.
“Holy Cross came out of the gates ready to fight, with a high energy level and high intensity level,” Ruiz said.
“They were beating us to the 50-50 balls and capitalizing on our mistakes. We came out strong in the second half, outplaying Holy Cross and playing with the intensity that we should have had at the beginning.”
Ruiz also said the team learned a lesson.
“Have that spark and energy at the opening whistle and maintain it until the end of the 70 minutes,” she said.
With the loss, the Bison fell to 10-7, with a 2-3 record in Patriot League play.
Since Lafayette defeated Colgate on Saturday, the Orange and Blue have a spot in the Patriot League Tournament this weekend.
As the third seed, the Bison will face second-seeded Lafayette today in Washington, D.C. Lafayette defeated the Bison in double overtime on Oct. 4.
“I am confident that if we approach this game with mental toughness, focus, and energy, we will earn the result we want,” Ruiz said.
The winner will face the winner of a match up between American, the top seed and tournament host, and Colgate.
