By Kirsten McKenna
Field Hockey Coach Kathy DeAngelis gave words of wisdom to her team before the inaugural women’s field hockey match held at Hofstra University Field Hockey Stadium versus the Yale Bulldogs on Fri., Sept. 14. Fueled with excitement, she urged the girls, “Play as if you have been playing on the field, and use the excitement of the new field as motivation.”
On such a commemorative day, the field functioned as a spirit booster, according to the team. Hofstra out- shot Yale 14-4 in the first period. Yale goalie Charlotte Goins, who entered the game with a GAA of 1.67, saved Hofstra’s first shot on goal as Kristin Thompson attempted a penalty corner conversion 4:33 into the game.
Junior forward Brit Blankmeyer, who was previously tied with Charlia Warner for leading scorer of the Pride, scored from in front of the net 8:17 into the game with an assist from Warner and a feed from Ayanna McClean, putting Hofstra in the lead, 1-0.
To tie it up, Yale’s Ashley McCauley scored her first goal of the season and the Bulldog’s first point of the game on a breakaway at 22:10 with an assist from Jayna Whitcher.
The Pride’s Ayanna McClean responded to Yale’s first goal towards the end of the first half, converting a penalty stroke in the last minute of the period to make the score 2-1.
Blank Meyer and McClean’s goals in the first half were the Pride’s only successful shots throughout the match. Though Hofstra ran a dominant and aggressive offense in the first half, the Bulldogs, led by McCauley, refused to lose another game.
After starting goaltender Nadine Surak saved four consecutive Bulldog shots on goal at the beginning of the second half, and Yale midfielder Katie Cantore failed to convert a penalty stroke, McCauley entered deep into Hofstra territory and evened out the scoreboard at 2-2, with an assist from Harriet Thayer at 5:28 into the second period.
Assessing Yale’s play, Charlia Warner said.”There was a breakdown of some sort” in Hofstra’s game plan.
Within the next three minutes, McCauley scored two consecutive goals on Surak, who allowed a total of four goals and stopped seven shots while in the net. Freshman Krisha Giammarco substituted in for the junior goalkeeper to finish the game. She stopped two shots and allowed two goals.
De Angelis focused on the problematic beginning of the second half: “We came back from halftime, and as soon as Yale scored a goal, there was an immediate letdown.” She attributed the loss to a lack of practice on the new turf, in addition to a loss of strong composure and morale in the second period.
Thayer remained strong offensively, as she recovered a deflected ball off of a Hofstra player, shot, and scored, putting the Bulldogs up 5-2.
Cantore would later convert a penalty stroke and score the final goal of the game for the Bulldogs, edging the Pride 6-2. The women of Yale outshot Hofstra 16-3 in the second period.
The Bulldogs, who suffered losses to intra- league opponent Princeton, and two Top 20 teams in Providence and Connecticut, entered the inaugural match against the Pride with a defeated record at 0-3.
Yale left victorious for the first time this season, improving their record to 1-3. On giving Yale their first win, Coach De Angelis said, “I think we feared the inevitable, we don’t want that to happen again.”
Yale’s record versus Hofstra is 12-5 all-time since 1985. The two teams have not met since 2000, a match in which the Pride defeated the Bulldogs, 3-1.
As the Pride’s record drops to 3-3, Coach De Angelis looks to future games with a determined outlook. Her direction to the team will be, ” Play to win, not play not- to- lose.”
Charlia Warner (No. 14) drives toward the net in the first game at the new field hockey stadium. Warner leads the team in points on the season with nine.