The field hockey team won the second of two games this weekend due to renewed emphasis on team-focused play. After falling to Columbia (3-3, Ivy 1-0) Friday, Bruno (3-3, 0-1) bounced back Sunday to fend off Colgate University (1-7).
Columbia 4, Brown 1
Despite not having beaten the Lions since 2006, the Bears entered Friday’s game with high hopes.
“We went into the game really thinking that it was a good match-up,” said Torie Stearns ’14. “I think individually the teams did stack up pretty well.”
But Columbia established an offensive advantage from the first whistle. The Lions bombarded the Bears with a barrage of shots before halftime, netting three goals. In response, Bruno recorded only one goal, scored by forward Meghan O’Donnell ’15 in the 29th minute of play off an assist from Clayton Christus ’15.
The second half did not unfold any better for the Bears. A strong effort by goalkeeper Shannon McSweeney ’15 — who logged 10 saves for the game — was not enough to break the tide of scoring by the Lions. Columbia added a fourth goal in the 44th minute to complete its lopsided victory.
Stearns said a breakdown in team-based mentality was to blame for the outcome.
“We usually play as a team, but it was a little more of an individual effort (in the game),” Stearns said.
Brown 4, Colgate 3
The mood of the team was somewhat “defeated” following Friday’s loss, Stearns said. But the Bears redeemed themselves against Colgate.
Mental preparation paid dividends for the team.
Stearns scored the first goal of the game — her first of the season — 30 seconds into the first half.
Following this blow, the Raiders swiftly retaliated. Colgate senior Halle Biggar notched two goals before the half, stealing Brown’s lead. Seven minutes into the second half, first-year Whitney Jones contributed another point to the Raiders’ tally.
Captain Maggie Brady ’14 said composure was key to staying engaged in the game.
“We stayed very calm … It was almost like a switch flipped,” she said. At that time, “we realized that we had the potential to come back.”
And the Bears roared back from their brief hibernation. The team struck in the closing minutes of the second half, scoring three goals in roughly 10 minutes.
The three points came from three different players, as Christus pushed in the game-winning goal with less than two minutes left on the clock.
Brady said the match reflected the Bears’ ability to excel as a unit.
“The Colgate game was the culmination of our individual efforts into a cohesive team effort,” Brady said.
Up next
The team will host its next match at home against Dartmouth Sept. 28. Last year, the Bears lost to their conference rivals 3-2 on the road, but the players said they remain optimistic as the rematch approaches.
“They’re definitely going to come back and try to beat us,” said Alexis Miller ’16, who scored one goal in the Colgate game. “Playing with small passes, causing corners and doing the things that we’re good at will help us come out on top.”
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