By Jordan Fairchild
Elm Staff Writer
On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the Washington College field hockey team took on the #5 ranked Salisbury University Seagulls at home on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium.
The Shorewomen were defeated by the Seagulls 3–0.
The Seagulls scored their first goal within the first 10 minutes of the first quarter and then went on to score another goal with less than four minutes left in the second quarter.
The Seagulls scored their final goal of the game in the fourth quarter with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
“We are only in the first two weeks [of the season], so as we go on we will have to continue to work on our playing principles, connecting as a team, and communicating with each other throughout the rest of the season,” junior captain Tatum Schatt said. “But I think we have the tools that we need to succeed.”
Sophomore goalkeeper for the Shorewomen Ava Rivera would end the game with 11 saves compared to the Seagulls’ four saves.
Rivera was also named the Goose Nation TV Shorewoman of the Game during the live broadcast.
“Right now, our main focus is getting super scrappy for goals and being consistent in our defensive clears,” junior Julianna Sterling said. “I think once we get that locked down, we’ll be a really killer team.”
On Saturday, Sept. 11, the Shorewomen hosted the Stevenson University Mustangs on Kibler Field, earning a 4–2 win over the visitor.
“The team worked really hard in preseason, which has helped the team’s success so far. The team is so close knit and supportive of one another,” sophomore Alexis Tackney said. “That has helped our success too. We all want what is best for each other and are endlessly supportive.”
Towards the end of the first quarter, the Mustangs scored a goal, but the Shorewomen answered back with their own goal by freshman Zoe Shevitz. This sequence would tie the score at 1–1 going into the second quarter.
This was Shevitz’s first career goal.
Freshman Kat Esposito would score the second goal for the Shorewomen in the second quarter to put them up 2–1 over the Mustangs.
With about three minutes left in the third quarter, the Mustangs would find another goal to bring the score to 2–2.
Only a few minutes later, senior Maddie Knight scored a goal for the Shorewomen, allowing them to take the lead again at 3–2 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.
With 32.9 seconds left in the third quarter, senior Cristen Quillen scored the final goal of the game for either team, securing the Shorewomen’s victory at 4–2 over the Mustangs.
With this victory, the Shorewomen have now won 17 of the 20 all-time matchups against the Mustangs.
Rivera would come away from the game with three saves, the same as the Mustangs’ total saves during the game.
During the live broadcast, Knight was named Goose Nation TV Shorewoman of the Game.
She was also elected Shorewoman of the Week for Sept. 13– 17.
After these games, the Shorewomen will walk away with an overall record of 3–1.
“The next step for us is to continue on our path of improvement one building block at a time,” junior Jo Robson said. “Each day we pull together more pieces of the game and apply them to our own form of hockey. It’s been amazing to see our growth and success.”
The Shorewomen will play their next game on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium against the Notre Dame of Maryland University Gators.
Photo by Izze Rios