Seeking to improve its record, the Big Red women’s field hockey team (1-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy) is traveling north to play Colgate (1-6) at 7 p.m. tonight under the lights.
Coming off of a big win over Columbia last Saturday, the team is excited for this match and hungry for a win. After a tough overtime loss to Colgate last year, the Red sees this match as a chance for revenge.
“I feel like we had a really great practice [last night]. We were really focused and we are very excited to play. It’s really a revenge factor with Colgate. We lost to them in overtime last year after dominating throughout the entire game and we want to take it from them this year,” head coach Michelle Tambroni said of her team’s game plan.
Although it is early in the season, Colgate has shown many weaknesses.
Winning only one of its first seven games, the Red Raider squad has lost the majority of its matches by large scoring margins.
“I don’t want their record to affect our mindset. I think teams like this are hard to play because they are very unpredictable. Every game we play is just as important as the next,” Tambroni commented.
Compared with Cornell, Colgate plays a very different game. The Red must stick to basics in order to take a win from the Red Raiders.
“I think that we have a better team, but the one thing I worry about, as a coach, is that we can’t play their game. We play a short passing game and we use finesse and speed. They use the big hits, the big drive and it’s a big bash-ball game. If we can play our own game, then we will be fine,” Tambroni added.
Despite Colgate’s poor record, Cornell must take the Raiders seriously as they pose a significant scoring threat.
The Red will look to shut down Colgate’s junior midfielder Kristine Thomas, who has scored five of the team’s eight goals this season. To stop Thomas from scoring, Tambroni has put sophomore back Sarah Nordstrom in charge.
“Nordstrom has a tough job. Thomas is the most threatening player. She’s loaded with speed and we’ve got to slow her down,” Tambroni asserted.
Nordstrom seems ready for her responsibilities to stop Colgate’s primary offensive player.
“It will be a challenge, but I think I’m ready for it. I was marked against a really fast forward for the Kent State game, so I have had good practice,” Nordstrom said. “I just need to break down the game, piece by piece. I have the confidence to do it and it’s more a mental role than it is a physical role.”
With another Ivy contest against Penn this weekend, the Red is really using this game as a preparation for the match that counts. There are many aspects of the game that can be improved upon and all the players and coaches have goals ahead of them.
“Personally, my goal is to let the other backs have confidence in me and also, to take care of [Thomas]. I want to totally eliminate her and not let her beat me,” said Nordstrom of her goals.
“I want to see our strong passing game and, if we get ahead, I want to stay ahead,” Tambroni added. “We want to take this game first, then start thinking about Penn on our way home from Colgate.”
Archived article by Kelli Larsen