By By Justin Paley
Sunday’s game against the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams appeared to be a mismatch on paper. The Rams were 1-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), while the Pride field hockey team entered the game at 5-2.
But games aren’t played on paper and the Pride (12-6, 5-3 CAA) struggled against the Rams, ultimately losing, 3-2. Most teams in the CAA play on artificial turf or a turf-like playing surface, but the Rams play on NeXturf, a grass-like substitute.
“The field was hard to get used to,” Pride junior midfielder Leslie DeSimone said.
Pride sophomore Pemba Ramdoo said the field wasn’t the only reason the Pride lost. “We may have overlooked them, a little too cocky,” Ramdoo said. “On any given day anything can happen. We should have won that game.”
Head coach Kathy DeAngelis said there were no excuses for losing to VCU.
“We did not play well, could not change to their surface,” DeAngelis said. “I’m disappointed in our performance. We couldn’t make adjustments and should have made adjustments.”
While the Pride did have 10 penalty corners to the Rams’ seven, the Pride only converted on one of them. DeAngelis said the field caused the Pride to slow down on the corner attempts and take an extra second to make adjustments.
Pride goalie Jessica Cowperthwait did not have one of her best games. “Overconfidence and the field,” Cowperthwait said of the reasons for the loss. “We couldn’t get our game going. We went in overconfident and definite heartbreak.”
Cowperthwait added that the Pride defense was misjudging balls and VCU was getting to balls in the circle before the Pride. She also said the Pride didn’t cover VCU as tightly as it should have.
Unlike last year upon entering its final regular season game in need of a win to make the CAA Tournament, the Pride had already clinched a berth in the six-team tournament and the third seed with a win over James Madison University last Friday.
The Rams’ Heather McCannon scored the game-winner when she fired a shot from the left side of the net that went past Cowperthwait with 8:55 left in the game.
At the end of the first half, VCU was awarded a penalty corner and converted as Rebecca Bosler tied the game at two.
The Pride took a 2-1 lead with 13:47 left in the first half when Ramdoo notched her 10th goal of the season on a penalty corner, which was assisted by Doni-Melissa Jantzen.
Earlier in the first half, VCU tied the game at one when Amy Gallivan tipped in a pass from Megan Sauder.
The Pride got on the scoreboard first when Jantzen tipped a pass to DeSimone who poked it in with 24:50 left in the first half.
With the regular season complete, the Pride is preparing for the CAA Tournament held at top-seeded Old Dominion University. The Pride takes on sixth-seeded Towson University Friday at 2:30 p.m. with the winner facing second-seeded Northeastern in a semifinal on Saturday.
Ramdoo said the Pride will work on penalty corners, individual defense and shooting drills in practice this week in preparation for the Tigers, a team the Pride beat 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 9 at Towson.
“It was a blessing in disguise to not overlook anyone. It was a lesson to bring your best game every game,” Ramdoo said.
Cowperthwait gave her approach to the CAA Tournament. “Don’t go in overconfident…Go into Towson like they are ODU,” Cowperthwait said.
The Pride would love to get another shot at ODU, especially after the team fell to the Monarchs on Oct. 23 at Shuart Stadium, 1-0, in a game where three Pride goals were disallowed.