Tribe Falls to Northeastern

W&M dropped its first home game of the season 1-0 to the Huskies.

10/22/06 5:00PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary field hockey team dropped its first home match of the season, falling 1-0 to Northeastern on Oct. 22. The Huskies scored midway through the second half to claim the victory. The Tribe fell to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in the CAA, while NU improved to 8-10 on the year and 3-3 in the league ledger.

“We had some great scoring chances,” head coach Peel Hawthorne said. “The game could have been very different. Northeastern was able to get a bunch of corners in a row and scored on one. We were not able to finish. We started a little slow, and it took us a while to get going. Once we did get things started, we dominated the middle of the game, and then they scored. It was a frustrating game.”

Junior goalkeeper Gwen Hunter made a pair of saves in the opening seven minutes of the game to keep Northeastern off the board. Off a penalty corner in the fifth minute of play, the Ocean City, N.J., native made a diving stop to deny NU’s Sarah Eckhoff. Two minutes later, Hunter blocked Ashley Bascetta’s 12-yard attempt from the right side of the circle following a deflected pass.

The Tribe’s first scoring opportunity came 11 minutes into the contest. Freshman Wesley Drew made a leading pass down the left side of the field to senior forward Gina Cimarelli. The Oak Hill, Va., native penetrated the circle, before ripping a shot wide of the cage from 12 yards out.

In the 18th minute of play, the Tribe again put pressure on the Northeastern cage, but could not find the scoring column. Senior back Jamie Fitzgerald played the ball into the penalty area. It was deflected by the defense, but as NU goalkeeper Liz Centofani came out to kick the ball clear, she slipped. It fell to sophomore midfielder Katie Broaddus, but Centofani recovered to make the save on Broaddus’ shot from 10 yards out on the left side. The Tribe earned a penalty corner on the play, but could not convert. Senior forward Maggie Long took the attempt off the corner, but it went wide of the left post.

W&M had four consecutive chances in front of the Husky cage in the final three minutes of the first half, but could not find the game’s first goal. Off a penalty corner, the initial shot by junior back Laura Kastelic from the top of the circle was blocked by the NU defense. The rebound fell to senior midfielder Becky Van Zee. The Leighton, Pa., native lifted a shot that appeared destined for the left side of the cage, but Centofanti came out of no where to block the attempt. Johnson corralled the second rebound, but her shot from inside the crease was blocked. The Tribe once against gathered the rebound, but Van Zee’s second attempt in the series went wide of the cage.

Junior Kim Hedley created an opportunity for the Tribe in the early stages of the second half. She used some nice stick work to get into the penalty area, before sweeping a shot from 12 yards out on the left side of the circle. The attempt narrowly missed the right post, sailing wide.

W&M had another dangerous chance in the 48th minute. Broaddus fed Hedley down the left side of the pitch into the circle. Hedley caught up to the ball just before it crossed the end line, sending a pass across the crease. Cimarelli tried to get there and knocked it home, but the ball caught her foot before going into the cage and the goal was disallowed.

At the 54:16 mark, the Huskies scored the game’s lone goal. Off a series of four penalty corners over a 2:30 span, Bascetta gathered a blocked shot and pushed the ball into the right side of the cage from 10 yards out in the middle of the field. Over the 2:30 stretch, Hunter made three saves, including a pair of Bascetta shots. The third time was the charm for the Northeastern player as she gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

The Tribe narrowly missed finding the equalizer two minute later. Hedley made a nice run down the right side of the pitch into the circle. The Virginia Beach, Va., native sent a pass across the crease, but Long could not get on the end of it.

Northeastern outshot W&M, 14-8, on the afternoon, including an 8-1 advantage in the second half. The Huskies also had the advantage in penalty corners, 11-2, over the Tribe. Hunter finished with eight saves in net for the Tribe. Johnson also had her third defensive save of the year for W&M.

W&M will return to action on senior night, Friday, Oct. 27, against Towson at 5 p.m. The game will mark the final regular-season home affair in the careers of Maggie Long, Gina Cimarelli, Jamie Fitzgerald, Becky Van Zee and Julienne Palbusa.

Box Score