Last night we played UCONN, they proved to be a tough challenge. They were extremely fast and stick skilled but we were able to hold them to 1-0 until half time. The overwhelming shots finally started to fall for UCONN and they won 5-0. Today we have practice and will work on the adjustments we need to make to go out and beat BC.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Conference games
First we played Towson. That game was tough but Lizzie play well, earning her first shut out of the season. The Sunday we played Delaware. They had all the momentum coming in, they were undefeated in conference and were on a 9 game winning streak. Their goalie had a 3 game shut out streak. We were able to put a goal in early in the first half and that proved to be enough. Lizzie earned her second shut out of the season. Beating Delaware was great for our confidence but also for our conference play. It was the first time we had beaten a rank opponent since last season when we beat BU.
Start of the home games
After getting home from William and Mary with our first conference win, we were excited to finally have a stretch of home games. We played Harvard, which was just an all out offensive attack. Our forwards unleashed on the Harvard defense and scored 6 goals in the first half. UNH proved to be a gritty game. They never gave up and our defense shined at the end of the second half, preserving our 3-2 lead. Next came two more conference games. We were all excited.
On Wednesday, Kate was at the bookstore and received a bonus in her purchase. One of our teammates had left her stick in the NU bookstore earlier in the day. This player also happened to be the last one on the bus Thursday when we left for the airport. When confronted with the news that the cashier at the bookstore had given Kate the stick, our teammate calmly replied ‘oh that’s where it was, ok’. Not a worry line on her face. With all of our equipment in tow we headed down to Virginia. Our first stop was in Georgia where we switched gates 3 times before finally settling in. Then we boarded a plane where our team pretty much took up all the seats.
Friday morning arrived and we headed to the field for an early morning walk thru where we adjusted to our new line-up, passed and did some corners. After breakfast at the hotel and video, most of us took naps to get energized for the game. ODU expertly executed 2 corners and we found ourselves down 2-0 early in the first half. Some adjustments on the field and we settled down. Unfortunately ODU was able to slip another goal in before half time making the score 3-0 at half time. Undeterred we came out with hard pressure on the Monarch’s defense. Finally with a minute left in the game, Carolyn Malloy was able to convert one of our many shots on goal into a corner. It proved to be too little too late and the Monarch’s came out the victors 3-1.
Saturday we left for William and Mary. When we got to the field there had been a mix up, our practice was earlier in the day. Instead of practice at 1, we had practice at 5 so we went to get lunch. Then we went out to dinner at the Colonial Heritage Inn. It was a nice change to be able to get dressed up and go out to dinner in something other than sports clothes. Joining us for dinner were a few relatives but also Emily and Doug Hausloher. They are fans we always see when we play William and Mary. They are great supporters of our team.
After getting to bed early and getting some great sustenance the night before, we came out ready to play against William and Mary. We started off strong with Crystal scoring about half way thru the half. However with just under a minute William and Mary was able to slip a goal into the net. After the half we came out ready to reclaim the lead and Carolyn was able to stuff in a rebound for the game winning goal. We had notched our first conference win. The ride home was a little delayed and we almost missed our connecting flight but we were able to make it and finally were back in Boston for 6 home games.
UMass
After a long bus ride to Western Mass aka farm town, we made it to UMass Amherst. With plenty of time to prepare, we were able to get some good touches on the ball. The Minutewomen proved to be worthy of their #11 ranking. Although we had many opportunities to score with shots and corners we were unable to convert any into goals. It was an off day for our usually active offense and strong defense. With a final score of 4-0 in favor of the Minutewomen, we were ready to eat away the loss at the tailgate. Emotional eating ensued: chocolate cupcakes with red frosting were just what the doctor ordered. On Monday we worked extra hard to get back to our standard of play. We are now refocused and ready to start our conference play this weekend against ODU and William and Mary. GO NU!
Providence Game
The victory glow was short lived, we had Providence that Wednesday and it was time to get back to business. This game had a special meaning for me, my younger sister is on the Providence field hockey team. I told the team there was no way I could face losing to my younger sister. Providence defense proved to be tough to crack but with just 9 seconds left on the clock, Montana Hewlett sent a ball up the field that was expertly deflected by Annie Clayman on to the stick of Crystal, cutting the ball across the field, Crystal drew her defender and the goalie to the left. She dished it to the right to Nicky Graham waiting on the post. The second half brought out all the offense. Providence scored to tie the game at 1. Our second goal was scored by Pam Aldridge but that proved not to be enough, Providence came back and scored again. Finally, in the dramatic fashion in which we are so used to, Kaela Barker scored the game winner off a corner with only 23 seconds left in the game. Providence tried to get the ball up field quickly to get a goal of their own but our defense held together and the Huskies had a 4 game winning streak going. In a agreement that was made before the game, I gave my sister the Northeastern shirt she was supposed to wear to practice the next day. It remains unknown if she actually wore it to practice. I was just glad my team had won, now we are 1-1 vs Providence, there would be no living with her if Providence was 2-0 against NU.
Sucks to BU
Oh Sweeney field how we missed you. It was a great day to be a Husky on Sun Sept 13. In a cross town rivalry, our own version of the Beanpot, the Huskies took on the BU Terriers. This game was a battle of the forwards as the scoring was back and forth. 3 goals were scored in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Huskies were ahead 2-1 at half time. BU wasn’t going down with out a fight. They scored again to tie the game at 2 but we answered again to make the score 3-2. It stayed that way until the final minutes of the game. With 3 minutes left in the game BU tied the game off a broken corner. We refused to go to over time, this would end in regulation and with 1:07 left on the clock Pam Aldridge did what she does best and put the game winner past the BU goalie. It was a well deserved win which was rewarded with our first home tailgate. There was a great BBQ put together by all the parents in West Village. We also had a special guest at the game. During preseason we completed a program called Judgment Day with Eric Kap, a former special ops military captain. Judgment Day was infact 2 days of hard work, one on the field and one in the pool. Eric showed us what we were made of and what we could accomplish if we all worked together and supported each other especially when things looked dismal. Eric witnessed his first field hockey game ever on that Sunday. Although he wasn’t sure about all the rules, he learned quickly. It was nice to be able to impress him with our sport and show him a victory. It was great for him to come out, we hope to see him again.
Quinnipiac Game
Another trip away from our beloved Sweeney field. This time we were headed to Connecticut to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The weather was a little shakey rain drops peppered the field but that didn’t stop the Huskies. We did get off to a slower start than normal, scoring 10 minutes into the game instead of 5. We scored again in the beginning of the second half giving us a 2-0 lead. Quinnipiac didn’t give up, they scored off a well executed corner. Frustration with some of the calls resulted in a green (warning) card however we were able to settle down. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, Meaghan Sweeney passed the ball to Crystal Poland who was able to score the third goal making the final score 3-1. This game not only had the rivalry of Northeastern vs Quinnipiac but also a blood rivalry. Meg Sweeney played against her cousin Lauren Harnett. Thankfully now Meg can hold her head high at the next family gathering. This game also had 5 girls from, Walpole, our home town. Meg and I could walk around Walpole with a little extra swagger after this game.
Trip to San Fran
Northeastern Field hockey’s trip to California started at the glorious time of 545am at chicken lous. After a long flight, the pilot announced that we were in California, he wished us good luck and we were on our way. The time adjustment was hard for some of us east coasters, however we took advice from our 6 canadians and 1 californian who are experts at making this cross country trek. We went to Stanford for practice where there were no balls; which proved to be an interesting challenge. After finally getting a bucket of balls we got in a good hour and a half work out to prepare for the Cardinals. Italian food filled with protein and carbs was our dinner of choice that night for two days before game day. Our breakfast the next morning seemed to be californias finest. There was fresh fruit/juices, oatmeal, cereal, muffins, and bagels. We fueled up and headed out to another day of practice. After our second day of practice we got to walk around San Francisco for a couple of hours. Some people made fashionable decisions, purchasing I <3 SF shirts and sweatshirts while others made riskier purchases, heading to the fast food chain in and out to sample their fine cuisine.
The next night we played Stanford in their first ever night game. Stanford fans were a rambunctious group, using our roster to call onto the field to some of the Northeastern girls. In the end the Cardinals came away with the win but it was a tough fought game. After the game we had a tailgate thrown by the Canadian parents. Many of the girls on the team were excited because the Canadian parents don’t get to see us play that often. It was the silver lining of the night.
On Saturday we headed out to Cal Berkley. Our pregame walk thru was in their football stadium. We were all amazed how big it was and tried to imagine playing for all those people. We had seen the Cal football game the night before on television. The Cal game proved a better run for us. At the end of regulation it was 2-2. The game was in 7v7 overtime. We had many chances to score but couldn’t get the ball in the net and faced a second overtime. Keeping the pressure on, Kaela Barker fed a ball to Carolyn Malloy who found the back of the net. It was an exciting first win and we all rushed the field piling on top of Carolyn. It was a great way to end our first away trip.
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