Over 75 fans watched from both the hill outside of Susan B. Anthony Residence Hall and the stands of Fauver Stadium as the women’s field hockey team easily shutout the SUNY Oswego Lakers, 5-0, on Saturday.
The Yellowjackets started strong and took an early lead. After just over nine minutes of play, junior Krista Butler netted the first goal of the game off an assist by junior Mary DiMatteo. Five minutes later, junior Revay Wilson shot another commanding goal, crushing Oswego’s defense.
Soon, juniors Kristy Johnson and Celi Fletcher put an end to two back-to-back penalty strokes with another UR goal and assist, respectively.
By the end of the first half, the Yellowjackets were up 3-0, and even those who knew nothing about field hockey could see that the home team was in control. The team provided offensive pressure for the entire duration of first-half play and refused to relent in the second.
DiMatteo started the second half in a fashion nearly identical to the first.
In the same amount of time, 9:27, the captain provided an assist, this one completed by junior Heidi Davies rather than Butler. Butler closed out the game, and scored Rochester’s fifth goal off of an assist by Fletcher.
Sophomores Rachel Cahan and Robin Levy divided time in the goal, but were provided with little action thanks to the outstanding defensive – and offensive – efforts of their teammates. As a result, the Yellowjackets outshot the Lakers, 29-1.
Coach Michelle Andre spoke of the team’s first-game success.
“We have a lot of experience returning to the lineup,” she said. “[There is] a lot of depth at each position and that is allowing us to grow as a team.”
This season’s roster includes of two seniors, Courtney Nussbaum and co-captain Sally Jensen, nine juniors, including co-captains Davies and DiMatteo, and six sophomores.
Six freshmen – Natalie Mroczka, Aynsley Duncan, Maeghan Kirsch, Katie Moll, Erica Gelb and Kristen Fitzgerald – provide not only new faces to the lineup, but also players as equally dedicated to success as their more experienced upperclassmen.
“Pre-season went really well, and so did the game on Saturday,” Mroczka said. “There are still things we will need to work on in practice.”
Andre agreed, adding, “We have high expectations for this season.”
The Yellowjackets play their next five games away in a two-week peroid, but return home to Fauver Stadium to face Vassar College on Sept. 23.
Anderson can be reached at janderson@campustimes.org.
