Field Hockey Sweeps Ivies

After cashing in on two more consecutive wins recently, the old cliché-"this team is running like a well-oiled machine" has never seemed truer for the Providence College Field Hockey Team. This well oiled-machine faced off against two Ivy League powerhouses this weekend, shutting down Harvard first on Friday, Sept. 12 and Dartmouth on Sunday, Sept. 14. With five victories so early on, it appears as if the team is well on its way to having a winning and successful season.

"We are very happy with where we are now," said Junior goalkeeper Rachel Chamberlain, "but we still have a lot to do to get ready for the rest of the season."

For the team, getting ready means preparing themselves for the competitive challenges they will encounter in the Big East Conference.

For Providence the best way to do this is to perform strongly, confidently, and smoothly in the non-conference action they face leading up to conference competition. Clearly, this is exactly what the Friars did in their 3-0 victory over Dartmouth.

After a scoreless first half of play, Providence quickly turned the game around.

"At halftime, we applied different pressure and made some good adjustments," said Head Coach Diane Madl.

The Friars finally got on the board for a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute as sophomore Ashlyn Hudson intercepted a crossing pass just as Dartmouth was attempting to clear the ball from their defensive end. After collecting the ball, she dribbled into the top of the circle and completed a shot into Dartmouth's goal.

The ball would hit the back of the cage two more times before the end of the game. In the 47th minute, sophomore Jamie Lipski tipped in a free hit taken by senior Jessica Lane to give the Friars a 2-0 advantage.

In the 67th minute, junior Adrienne Marois completed the scoring spree as she ripped a hard shot off a feed from Lane during a penalty corner.

This team effort, with goals from three different Friars, helped to nail down Providence's second-straight shutout, its third of the season.

For goalkeeper Chamberlain, it has certainly been an exciting and solid season so far.

"We have made a lot of progress from game to game. Each time we step out on the field we get better," said Chamberlain. "That is why we have let fewer goals go in."

According to junior Sara Casey, the team maintains a positive outlook regardless of its opponent.

"We set up mini goals that we hope to achieve each game," said Casey, "that way we are able to keep our focus."

This is the mindset the team took to the field on Friday night in its match-up against Harvard. Hudson set a good pace for the game, scoring two consecutive goals in the first half. Hudson's first goal came at the 15:03 mark as junior Nellie Poulin delivered a pass down the middle that set Hudson up for a one-on-one breakaway with the Harvard goalkeeper. Hudson scored her second goal of the game just 4:59 into the second half to make the lead more comfortable.

The Friars continued to dominate the Crimson as sophomore Julie Ruggieri scored a third goal at 53:23. At 66:30, Lipski finalized the score by connecting on a pass from Ruggieri. Four goals were more than enough for the Friars to walk away with another solid victory.

Providence hits the road on Friday, Sept. 19, to battle the University of Connecticut, in its first Big East action of the season. Three of the last four games between the teams have been decided by one goal, including each of the last two Big East Conference Championship games.

Chamberlain and the team know what they will be up against in the following weeks as they begin their stint of Big East competition.

"This upcoming stretch of Big East teams is going to test what we are made of and what we have been working on," said Chamberlain. I'm confident that we will see good things and be able to play with the top teams."