After winning two consecutive games, including the home opener, the Fairfield field hockey team was shutout by the Drexel Dragons this past Sunday at a score of 3-0.
“[Drexel’s] a very strong team. We knew that coming into this,” said Head Coach Jackie Kane. “They play in the Colonial Athletic Conference and they play a really difficult schedule.”
The Stags started out strong defensively, allowing just one goal in the entire first half. However, Drexel dominated the ball and made it difficult for Fairfield to even get possession. The team was unable to even get a shot attempt in the half.
“We knew they would probably have possession more than we would,” said Kane. “We had to just get lucky and we didn’t get enough circle penetration to make that happen.”
Fairfield’s defensive line performed admirably in the first half, though. Goalkeeper Emma Ball ‘18 had three saves in what was the freshman’s first collegiate start. Felicitas Heinen ‘15 and the other players on that defensive line played well, too, until there were about 10 minutes left in the half.
The Stags allowed three penalty corner shots in that time and eventually gave up the first goal of the game with 1:31 remaining.
The second half started out slightly better for the Stags, but it did not end the way they wanted it to. Though Drexel dominated the ball early, Ball made some nice saves and allowed the Stags to finally gain some possession and the chance to turn the game around. Senior Sarah Wickles and Julie de Paeuw ‘17 took three combined shots in the second half, the only three of the game for Fairfield.
However, with about 15 minutes left to go in the game, Drexel took over again. The team scored two more times and Fairfield’s defense was unable to stop such shots at this point.
“We tried to change things up to put a little more pressure on them in the second half,” said Kane about the two goals scored in the second half. “They didn’t deplete, we just took more risks.”
Fairfield got a few more chances with the ball in the closing minutes, but was unable to make anything happen. So, the Stags fell to the Drexel Dragons at a score of 3-0, making their overall record 2-2. The team is also 1-1 at home now. Ball registered seven saves in the game, playing all 70 minutes.
The field hockey team plays their next contest on the road against Hofstra on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. before stopping at Penn on Sept. 12 and Columbia on Sept. 14.
“These are all tough games, every single one of them,” said Kane. “Our goal is to win more than we lose. If we set our minds and do the simple things well, we’ll be okay.”
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