Two distinct performances provided split results for the women’s field hockey team over the weekend, as a dominant yet inconsistent effort yielded a 2-1 overtime victory over Bryant while a physical, even matchup against UMass-Lowell became Brown’s (2-2) second loss of the year.
The Bears’ matchup with Bryant (1-5) looked to be the easier of the two weekend games, but Bruno was not able to break the deadlock until 25 minutes in, when Katarina Angus ’17 finished off the Bears’ sixth penalty corner of the game. The goal was Angus’ second on the young season, doubling her total from last year through only three games. Angus has played a majority of this season at defensive midfield, allowing Leah Zavalick ’17 to step into her sweeper role while Angus moves forward to create offensive chances.
“She has a really strong skill set and a really nice stick,” said Head Coach Jill Reeve. “When we are able to inject her into the attack, we want to do that, but we also want her to provide a little more security in our backfield from time to time. … She’s a really nice piece to have.”
Bryant was able to stem a number of Brown advances before equalizing two minutes before the end of the half. Victoria Danby finished a loose ball in front of an open net after goalie Katie Hammaker ’19 was forced out of her goal and the ball scooted past her and straight to Danby.
“Defensively, we had really good step-ups and interceptions,” Reeve said. “I thought we were way more organized this weekend than we were last weekend, so I think we’ve had a nice build with our backfield. I think those errors, we just need to manage them with a little more poise.”
Despite being out-cornered for the majority of the game, Bryant was able to take a surprising lead with 10 minutes left in the game after flawlessly executing a tip-in off a corner. Bryant only managed three corners in the entire game while Brown amassed a season-high 17; comparatively, Bruno had 92 all of last year — Saturday’s amount would have accounted for 18 percent of 2014’s total.
But it took all 17 corners for Brown to tie the game up: With 14 seconds left, Hannah Rogers ’16 was able to force in a last-ditch shot past a sprawling Bryant goalkeeper to send the game into overtime. The goal came after the Bryant defense shut down a corner but was unable to clear, so Rogers could roll the ball over the endline before her team jumped on her in celebration.
Overtime was a quick affair, as Herald Staff Writer Jaclyn Torres ’17 received a pass on the sideline and dribbled toward the goal before centering the ball to Lucy Green ’16, who aimed for far post and allowed Rogers to finish her second of the game and the game-winner.
“It was a battle right from the beginning to the end,” Reeve said. “Our team did a great job of creating a lot of scoring opportunities. The one thing we need to improve upon is our finishing. … We’re creating really nice patterns to goal and we have to tuck them in.”
It was a win that looked likely from the start despite the scoreline, as Brown’s penalty corner and possession advantage told a story of domination over Bryant. But finishing was a huge problem, with the Bears only converting two of 17 corners.
“It’s a matter of doing the right things” on the corners, Reeve said. “We just need to execute quicker.”
Sunday’s game against UMass-Lowell (5-1) was a solid barometer for the Bears, as the River Hawks have beaten Providence (0-6), Dartmouth (1-3) and Holy Cross (3-3) — all teams that Brown will face later this season.
The first half was a fairly even, scoreless contest with the River Hawks having a slight edge in corners, 4-3. UMass’ most dangerous weapon, Georgia Cowderoy, was kept at bay thanks to a defensively strong midfield performance from Green, Rachel Lanouette ’19 and Alexis Miller ’16.
“We did really well to adjust to the playing style of UMass Lowell,” Miller said. “Even though the scoreline didn’t reflect it, we adjusted well and that’s something we do that teams in our league don’t do as well as us.”
But the defensive stranglehold could not last, as Cowderoy was the engine on Lowell’s first goal of the game, and a second followed four minutes later. Reeve took a quick timeout and the Bears responded well, scoring a goal off a corner to cut the deficit in half. The same happened in the Bryant game, as Reeve took a timeout minutes before Rogers tied it up.
“The timeouts give us a moment to be in sync and focus,” Miller said. “We struggle with being the first to score, so it provides us with a chance to get a breather and settle in, which can lead to goals.”
Ellie Seid ’19 was the goalscorer — a first of her career — with Green on the assist, but the Bears were unable to come up with an equalizer in a physical, well-contested game.
The Bears will play at Providence Thursday and will take on Saint Joseph’s (2-2) Saturday at home.
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