Today, the Cornell field hockey team will battle two opponents — the Colgate Raiders and the remnants of hurricane Frances. After two strong performances over the weekend, the Red will travel to Hamilton this evening in pursuit of its second win of the season and an overall winning record.
“Its really important for us to win,” said junior co-captain Blair Corcoran. “Last year we lost a lot early and fell into a slump. We believe we can win. This weekend against Lafayette we proved to ourselves that we can compete. Now we need to prove to the other teams that we can win. This is a pretty important game.”
Last season, Colgate was 6-10 and beat the Red in the final game of the season — Colgate’s first victory over the Red since 1999. The Raiders have started this season 0-3, but two losses were by one goal. Tight, physical games have been a staple of the series and today’s game should be a continuation of this trend.
“Colgate is a veteran squad,” said head coach Donna Hornibrook. “They have a lot of good athletes on the frontline. They have been building this team for a while — they have seven seniors and lots of experience. I would not call them a finesse team, though they have a couple players of that type. They are a gritty, hard working team.”
This past weekend, the Red demonstrated immense offensive potential. Sophomore Lindsey Moyer had three goals, an assist, and was named Tompkins Trust Co. / Cornell Varsity Athlete of the Week. Senior Sarah Wiener tallied two goals and an assist. Classmate Danielle Dunn also played well, chipping in with a goal and a pair of assists.
“In practice we have been working on finishing, ” said senior co-captain Gina Testa. “We have been focusing on the goal — repetition is the key. Our system features two forwards and four midfielders. Coach gave a few players the green light to attack the net. With more attack, we will score more goals.”
The defense, which seemed very weak on Saturday, stepped up on Sunday. The Red limited Lafayette to six shots keeping the Red in the game. With each practice and game the Red is gelling as a unit.
“In the first game, we had new defensive system,” Corcoran said. “We were still getting used to it. On Sunday, we worked better together — we talked, we switched, and we trusted each other. Now, we’re more used to it.”
After a busy weekend, the Red has taken advantage of this brief respite between games to rest tired legs.
“We had a very intense conditioning schedule during the off season,” Hornibrook said. “In the second half of the Lafayette contest we got a little tired but that was the second game in two days. With the time off, we will be ready. We have what it takes.”
Archived article by James Rich
Sun Staff Writer