Field Hockey Returns to Winning Ways

Returning from one of the most successful seasons in school history, the Providence College Field Hockey Team embarked on the 2008 season with a bull's-eye on its back. Currently ranked at No. 4 in the Big East, the Friars have certainly guaranteed their position as contenders for the conference crown. After taking a tough loss to University of Virginia, ranked 11th in the nation, Providence rebounded this week with a double dose of victory over Northeastern and Yale.

On Sept. 4, the Friars headed north to compete in a key regional match-up against Northeastern, which resulted in a 2-1 win for Providence. Northeastern, always a formidable opponent for the black and white, tested what the Friars were made of in a full 70 minutes of relentless play.

"This game was all about effort and persistence," said Friars Head Coach Diane Madl of the win.

"It was a hard-fought victory," said Senior Ali Kornfield. "We lost to them last year, so we wanted to come back strong against them this year."

After a scoreless first half for both the teams, sophomore Ashlyn Hudson gave the Friars a 1-0 lead at the 39:09 mark. Just minutes later, sophomore Jamie Lipski added another point, to push the score to 2-0.

"In the second half we came out ready to go, got two goals, and didn't look back," said Senior Jessica Lane.

Friar goalkeeper Rachel Chamberlain barely missed a bid at her first shutout victory of the 2008 season. She was able to prevent Northeastern from scoring until the 66th minute. However, the Huskies lone goal was not enough, and the Friars came out on top with a 2-1 victory.

On Sunday, Sept. 7, PC hosted the Yale Bulldogs in non-conference action. The Friars, who felt confident going into the game, recorded a 5-0 win over Yale. Despite falling to Virginia a week earlier, both coaches and team members used the loss to benefit their style of play.

"Playing against Virginia set the bar for where we wanted to be as a team," said senior Meghan Holden.

"We were able to make some adjustments," said Madl. "We felt really good going into the game."

After junior forward Nellie Poulin got Providence on the board with an unassisted goal just 1:06 into the game, the Friars cruised to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first half.

Poulin put another one in the net at the 9:01 mark off a feed from sophomore Jamie Lipski. At the 24:46 mark, Sophomore Julie Ruggieri bumped the score up to 3-0 with a goal assisted by junior Adrienne Marois. Providence finished off the first half scoring trend with a goal from junior Megan Montecalvo which was assisted by Lipski.

Even though the Friars held a 4-0 advantage going into the second half, Madl encouraged the team to look at it as a completely new game.

"I didn't want the score to dictate our performance," said Madl.

Senior Maggie Ciarcia agreed that is exactly what they did.

"We wanted to better our own play, regardless of the score," said Ciarcia.

In the second 35 minutes of play, Holden scored the final goal, which was assisted by Lane. Five goals were more than enough for the PC defense to blank the Yale attack and for Chamberlain to earn her first shutout of the season.

The Friars are looking to match their final standings from last year by playing for first in the Big East Conference. Unlike last year, however, the team is hoping to pull through with a win at the conference title game which would earn them the league's automatic berth to the 2008 NCAA Tournament in November. Providence begins its quest for a Big East title on Sept. 19 when they match up against the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn.

The Friars will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 10 to battle Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. at 7:00 p.m.

The Crusaders are coming off three consecutive losses to Boston College, Fairfield, and Harvard, and the Friars will look to gain ground before Big East play begins.