UR women’s field hockey has been grinding out this season and have clawed their way back to .500. The team has another chance at getting their heads above water at Union before a road stretch this weekend at Union on Friday and Skidmore on Saturday.
The team took a huge 2-1 overtime win against Utica with both goals scored by senior captain Nicole Ketterer, which brought them to a 3-3 record.
Unfortunately in the next three games against Vassar, RPI and William Smith, the Yellowjackets took a dive, only scoring one goal combined. Their .500 record slipped away to 3-6. “We hit bottom against RPI because we felt like we were doing things right but we just couldn’t get the win.”
Last weekend against Oneonta and Hartwick, hard work and dedication finally paid off with a 2-0 win over Oneonta,goals scored by sophomore Erin Charnow and freshman Kathryn Harvey, and a hard fought 2-1 win over third ranked Hartwick with goals by juniors Kelly Melcher and Kaitlin Poeth. Their record now stands at 5-6.
“We may expect wins, but there are still things you have to do for that win. The whole team is really pulling together and playing a solid 70 minutes in a whole team effort,” coach Michelle Andre said. According to Andre, the all around play of sophomore Erin Charnow has been outstanding this season. Ketterer has been essential for moving the ball up the field, while junior Kaitlin Poeth leads the team in both goals and assists.
Eleven of the team’s 16 goals this season have come in the second half. The Yellowjackets are matching their opponents almost exactly in shots on goal, saves, and penalty corners this season. It only seems to be a matter of time before things really begin to fall into place for UR field hockey. The team’s next home game is against SUNY Brockport on Tuesday, Oct. 15, starting at 7p.m. at Fauver Stadium.
Berkowitz can be reached at sberkowitz@campustimes.org.