The field hockey team continued its early season campaign this weekend with a trip to Virginia, where Bruno lost two games including an overtime decision against the College of William and Mary. The Bears (1-3) exchanged blows with The Tribe (3-2) throughout the contest, with two first period goals from forward Gina Openshaw ’20. But Bruno struggled to contain William and Mary’s offensive opportunities and allowed 15 shots on goal compared to just 7 on Brown’s side. Goalie Katie Hammaker ’19 proved a strong line of defense and made 11 saves. “Some specific areas of focus for the next couple games include making purposeful off-ball movement and against the grain cuts to create more scoring opportunities,” said forward Ellie Seid ’19.
Hammaker’s goalkeeping and bursts of offensive success allowed the Bears to remain competitive throughout the match. “Our passing patterns looked great, and we were able to win and execute corners,” Seid said. Trailing by a single goal with just 15 minutes left to play, Anya Nayak ’21 scored the equalizer off an assist from Rachel Lanouette ’19 to level the game at three goals apiece. The game extended into double overtime, when the Bears faltered and allowed six shots on goal. The Tribe finally scored the game winner in the 84th minute, securing a 4-3 victory.
The Bears looked to bounce back as they traveled to Richmond, Virginia on Sunday to face off against the University of Richmond. But Bruno was ultimately unsuccessful, falling 4-2 to the Spiders (2-4). The Bears once again struggled to control possession of the ball, allowing 17 shots from Richmond, seven of which were on goal. Brown added seven shots of their own on target, which included a goal from Seid in the first period off an assist from midfielder Danielle van Rootselaar ’22.
Van Rootselaar provided a stroke of hope with 15 minutes left in the match, when she scored a goal that narrowed the deficit to one and brought the team within striking distance of tying the game. But the Bears’ hopes were dashed when Richmond found the back of the net in the 69th minute, which cemented their victory and handed Bruno its second loss of the weekend.
“One main goal for our team is being forward focused and focusing on staying in the present,” Nayak said. “Another goal is to stay connected on the field and continue to play as a unit.”
Next weekend, the team will look to reverse the tides on its slow start. “Our goals for the season are to look forward and focus on the process. We strive to take risks and be known as a scoring team,” Seid said.
“I’m encouraged by the growth our team has had in the past month,” Nayak said. “We are a new team ready to attack whatever challenges we face.”
The Bears will host the University of New Hampshire at home Friday before traveling to Hamden, Connecticut to face off against against Quinnipiac University Sunday.
