TodayCollege field hockey: Falcons too much for Devils
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Article RatingMessiah College field hockey head coach Jan Trapp is confident in her varsity goalkeepers, though there hasn't been much need for them so far this season.
Falcons Ashley Mowery, a Northern high school class of 2006 graduate, and Renee Herbster have only had to save two shots each in their team's first two games, as Messiah rolled to its second shutout win in as many games Tuesday, with an 8-0 victory over host Dickinson College.
“They both had two saves in our first game,” said Trapp. “But, Ashley (Mowery) is a terrific competitor. She's super intense and I have confidence in her.”
In fact, while the Falcons (2-0) went on to amass 23 total shots on goal and eight in the cage Tuesday, the Red Devils (1-1) didn't record their first, and only, shot of the day until the last eight minutes of play, when Mechanicsburg high school class of 2006 grad Katelynn Bias took the ball down the sidelines and into the circle unassisted.
The shot was blocked by Messiah's defensive squad.
“Messiah played hard,” said Dickinson head coach Alison Risser. “We let ourselves get away from the little things.
“Messiah did a good job keeping its sticks down and maintaining possession. When we would start to get something going, they would take advantage of us when the ball was off our sticks.”
The fundamentals were definitely a big part of this game - the Red Devils struggled to pass effectively on both sides of the midfield, often sending the ball untouched over the end line, and committing turnovers deep in their defensive zone where their midfielders struggled to move back in time to prevent a shot.
The Falcons, meanwhile, used timely positioning to slow down most of Dickinson's offensive attacks, long enough for their players to move back on defense, which lead to the Red Devils' low shot total.
“That's from the players knowing each other this year, they know where each other will be on the field better,” said Trapp, whose team graduated just one player from last year's squad.
“Our defense makes our offense mad at practice,” said Messiah junior forward and 2005 West Perry graduate Nikki Bailey.
“They are great competition for our offense, they are like The Great Wall of China. It's great, we can push each other so much in practice.”
According to Bailey, the Falcons' defensive team has helped better prepare the offensive players for regular season games, and it showed Tuesday. Senior forward Lindsey Hunter and Bailey, respectively, each scored goals within the first five minutes of the first half en route to Messiah's five first-half goals. Hunter finished the contest with a hattrick.
Despite leading 7-0 with less than two minutes left in the game, Bailey fielded a corner from teammate Jenna Max, dangled past a Dickinson defender, and scored her team's final goal of the afternoon. Most interesting was that the play was completely unscripted.
“I was a little confused,” said Bailey of the shot after the game. “It's not where I normally would go. It just kind of happened, it helps to have a team encouraging you.”
“We had some new corners they did in there, like Nikki's at the end, that were completely new,” said Trapp of her team's improvisation Tuesday. “That one's definitely going into the playbook.
“These last two games, we played really well. When passing, they are looking up and finding an open person. They get in the circle and take the shot.”
Messiah's bench also played a factor in the team's speed and endurance, with Trapp utilizing 24 different players in the 70-minute affair. The Red Devils, meanwhile, didn't have the staff to hold their scheduled junior varsity matchup that same day, with many of their players recovering from minor injuries.
“Right now, it's just nagging things,” said Risser. “But, it certainly was no reason for the score today.”
The Falcons will return home to face Ursinus Saturday while Dickinson will begin its 2007 road campaign Saturday, when it will face Roanoke College.
