Coming off the first win of the season, the women?s field hockey team headed to Utica College in hopes of keeping the winning streak alive.
During the first half of the game, the Yellowjackets tested Utica?s defense and came away with a 3-0 win.
The Yellowjackets took 13 shots on goal in the half and seemed to have an edge on Utica. UR only needed to make three saves to keep Utica from scoring in the half.
In the sixth minute of play, a penalty corner was given to the Yellowjackets. They used this free shot effectively. The ball landed in the circle, where senior midfielder and captain Sierra Dillaway shot the ball towards the goal. Freshman forward Ashley Kahan was in perfect position to score the goal.
?We had a free hit into the circle,? Dillaway said. ?I was right there and I sensed that it would be a good idea to take a quick hit.?
?So I drove it in and Ashley was in the right place and just tipped it in,? she continued.
The second goal came with 15:13 left on the clock in the first half. Sophomore forward Shawnessy Dusseau scored the unassisted goal, which prompted Utica?s coach to bring in a new goalie.
The second half started with a quick goal from sophomore forward and midfielder Kaitlin Poeth with only four minutes knocked off the clock.
Utica became charged up after this goal and soon picked up its level of play.
The second half was less lopsided than the first half. Each team made five saves and UR only had one more shot on goal than Utica, 8 to 7.
Dry spell
Neither team scored after the fourth minute of play in the second half. UR is now 2-3 overall.
Sophomore goalie Pamela Sheffield stopped eight shots and the Yellowjackets played terrific defense to record their first shutout of the season.
?We have been working on our defense techniques in practice a lot,? Dillaway said. ?We did a very good job of utilizing those techniques and it just messed up Utica?s game.?
The team next plays Skidmore College at Fauver Stadium tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Cupp can be reached at dcupp@campustimes.org.
