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News for 16 September 2019

All the news for Monday 16 September 2019


AirAsia Women's Junior AHF Cup 2019
Singapore

Results

15 Sep 2019     TPE v BAN (RR)     4 - 2
15 Sep 2019     UZB v SRI (RR)     8 - 0
15 Sep 2019     HKG v SGP (RR)     0 - 0

Final Pool Standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Singapore 5 4 1 0 18 1 17 13
2 Uzbekistan 5 3 1 1 21 3 18 10
3 Chinese Taipei 5 3 1 1 14 8 6 10
4 Hong Kong China 5 2 1 2 4 7 -3 7
5 Bangladesh 5 1 0 4 4 14 -10 3
6 Sri Lanka 5 0 0 5 1 29 -28 0

FIH Match Centre



S'pore win junior Asian hockey crown


PHOTO: SW SINGAPORE

The Republic won the AirAsia Women's Junior Asian Hockey Federation Cup yesterday, following a 0-0 draw with Hong Kong at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium.

This is the first time that a Singapore hockey team have won a continental trophy at any level.

The Singaporeans had already secured the title before that match, having won all their four matches earlier in the six-team tournament. The other participating teams are Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The Straits Times



Oceania Cup setback will drive us on, says Australia women’s captain Emily Chalker



In the latest of a series of video interviews with the teams that will participate in the upcoming FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers, Australia’s (FIH World Ranking: 2) Emily Chalker gives her thoughts about her team’s crucial two-game clash against Russia (WR:19). The all-important matches will take place in Perth, Australia on 25/26 October 2019, with timings to be confirmed in the coming weeks. A transcription of the interview can be found below.  

The FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will be taking place very soon. How will your team prepare for these hugely important matches?

Emily Chalker: “I guess we’ve got a bit of work to do after a disappointing loss [in the Oceania Cup], not qualifying directly, but I guess that is inspiring our team to do everything in our power in the coming months to make sure we are fully prepared for these games against Russia.”

What can we expect to see from your team in the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers?

Emily Chalker: “A very determined, steely group. As I mentioned, the disappointment will drive us, but also, we have just got to focus on our game. We’ve got to improve our defensive circle and attacking circle outcomes. That is something we are focussing on over the next two months to make sure we’re scoring the goals and saving the ones we need to in order to get our spot at the Tokyo Olympics.”

What are your thoughts about facing Russia, your opponents in the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers, and how is your squad feeling about these matches?

Emily Chalker: “Russia is an unknown team to us; I’ve personally never played them before or ever seen them at a tournament. Initially, [we will do] a little bit of research to work out their game plans. They’ve had some mixed results in the last couple of months in the Euros [where they finished 7th], so we are confident going out against Russia but it is an unknown and something we have to be switched on for.”

Finally, what would qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 mean to you and your team?

Emily Chalker: “Obviously you want to earn your spot at the Olympic Games; it is what we train for day in, day out. It is what you dream of as a little girl when you are playing the sport, so that is the passion and drive that we have. Our determination to get there is going to be second to none, and we’ll be making sure we are putting our best foot forward in every game to ensure we qualify.”

Each qualifier consists of two back-to-back matches which will be played in the same venue. The winners of these FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will qualify for the 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments which will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year and involve 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s teams.

#Tokyo2020
#RoadToTokyo
#GiftOfHockey

FIH site



Saari brothers chase Olympic dream

By Jugjet Singh


Faizal Saari (right) and his brother Fitri will lead Malaysia in the Olympic qualifier against Britain in November. - NSTP/EFFENDY RASHID

THE Saari brothers, Faizal and Fitri hope they will not be disappointed again when they lead Malaysia against Britain in the final Olympic qualifier on Nov 2 and 3.

It will be their second attempt to play in the Olympic Games.

They were part of the Malaysian team that failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio e dition.

Malaysia were close to earning an automatic spot for next year’s Tokyo Olympics when they reached the final of last year’s Asian Games in Indonesia. However, they were edged by Japan.

“I have been in this situation before where we were just a step away from the Olympics but missed it by seconds. But everyone in the team knows that nothing is impossible, even though we will be playing against one of the best in the world,” said Faizal recently.

Malaysia will have to beat Britain on aggregate over two matches at the Lee Valley Stadium in London to feature in their first Olympics since the 2000 Sydney edition.

For the record, Malaysia’s best Olympic outing was when they finished eighth at the 1972 Munich edition while in Sydney, they were 11th.

“If we can adapt to the weather and the atmosphere in London, I believe we will have a fair chance. “Everybody needs to give their best. We can't afford to miss a single chance,” Faizal added.

His brother, Fitri believes mental strength will be the key to victory.

“European teams tend to be robust game, and they will punish you when you make mistakes.

“We need to be mentally strong to fulfil our Olympic dream,” said Fitri.

The team will head to South Korea for four Test matches on Sept 19-29 before they head to Europe to prepare for the qualifier.

New Straits Times



Kirandeep happy to be adapting well in her new role

By AFTAR SINGH



KUALA LUMPUR: A switch in position has given 16-year-old Malaysian player Kirandeep Kaur (pic) a new lease of life.

The Kuala Lumpur player started as a forward at a tender age but found difficulty scoring goals.

At the Razak Cup last year, she failed to score a single goal as Kuala Lumpur went on to win the title.

Despite her goal drought, Kirandeep made her international debut at the World League Round Two in Singapore last year, where they became champions.

And in May this year, national coach K. Dharmaraj decided to play her as a midfielder.

The Form Form student of SMK Bukit Bandaraya said that as a forward she was struggling to get the goals in domestic as well as in international tournaments.

“And I must thank coach Dharmaraj for the switch as my new role suits me well. It also feels like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders, ” said Kirandeep.

“I’m now enjoying playing in the half-line.

“What I like about it is that I can dictate play, tackle for the ball and also provide passes for the forwards. I also fall back to help the defenders.

“Although it’s kind of hectic, I enjoy being in the thick of the action, ” said Kirandeep, who will lead KL to defend the Razak Cup title, which begins on Friday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

KL are drawn in Group A with Police, Johor and Penang while Selangor, Melaka, Armed Forces and Terengganu are drawn in Group B.

Kirandeep added that she will miss the services of her midfield partner, Norazlin Sumantri, who will be leaving to play for Butterfly Roma in the Italian League.

KL are again expected to face a strong challenge from Selangor, who they beat 2-1, in the final last year.

The Star of Malaysia



Auckland remains the only undefeated region after Day 2 of New Zealand's Ford NHL



2019 Ford NHL Men’s Tournament – Day 2

The Ricoh Capital Cobras looked impressive on day one of the Ford NHL as they were looking to defend their title from 2018. Sajan Patel continued his goal scoring form when in the 8thminute he would score a well-placed shot. Joel Rintala would then extend Capitals lead with a great flick in the 10thminute. Needing to score Dylan Thomas stepped up and powered in a goal for the John Turkington Forestry Central Mavericks to get them back into the contest. The Central side then tied the match up through a Sam Hiha goal just after the half time break. In the 45thminute Capital managed to break the deadlock when Kurt Lovett finished off some great team hockey for the Capital men. Needing to get a win to make the top 4 the John Turkington Forestry Central Mavericks pulled their goalkeeper. Unfortunately they couldn’t crack the Ricoh Capital Cobras defence and would fall 5-2.

Ricoh Capital Cobras 5 (Sajan Patel 8 min, Joel Rintala 10, 48, 59 min, Kurt Lovett 45 min)
John Turkington Forestry Central Mavericks 2 (Dylan Thomas 12 min, Sam Hiha 36 min)

Tasmania ran into a red-hot Ricoh Capital Cobras on day one of the Ford NHL. The Tasmanian side was looking much more clinical in their second match and had Auckland under significant pressure throughout the first half of the match. Joshua Brooks would put the Tasmanian side in the lead in the 19thminute and then force the Auckland side to chase the match. Auckland were struggling to score and went into the final quarter trailing the Tasmanians. Leo Mitai-Wells would eventually get Auckland on the score sheet in the 49thminute before Dwayne Rowsell stepped up in the 53rdminute to steal the 2-1 win for Auckland in a tough encounter.

Auckland 2 (Leo Mitai-Wells 49 min, Dwayne Rowsell 53 min)
Tasmania 1 (Joshua Brooks 19 min)

Bayleys Midlands and Tiger Turf North Harbour battled it out in a back and forth contest that went all the way up to the final hooter. Benji Edwards got North Harbour off to a flying start in the 3rdminute of the match, Midlands then fought their way back with an outstanding shot from Ricky Hayward that was pumped into the top of the goal. Midlands then hit the front for the first time in the match when Dutch import Frithjof de Jong put a low flick in that beat the North Harbour goalkeeper. Only moments later North Harbour would score through Robbie Capizzi as the two sides went into the halftime sheds tied at 2-2. Canterbury got their third goal in the 40thminute before Xavier Guy converted a stroke in the 43rdto put North Harbour up 4-2. With a couple of minutes to go Reuben Andrews would score for Midlands off a drag flick, however the Bayleys Midlands side ran out of time as they would fall 4-3.

Bayleys Midlands 3 (Ricky Hayward 15 min, Frithjof de Jong 19 min, Reuben Andrews 60 min)
Tiger Turf North Harbour 4 (Benji Edwards 3 min, Robbie Capizzi 20 min, Mitchell Ottow 40 min, Xavier Guy 43 min)

The Southern Dogs had a tough match against the Tiger Turf North Harbour side on Monday and were looking to bounce back against a Canterbury side which features several current and former Black Sticks. Southern scored the first goal of the match when the O’Connor brothers combined in the attacking circle to shock the Canterbury side in the 10thminute. Their joy was short lived as Canterbury would then bounce back with a powerful forehand shot that rocketed into the side of the Southern goal only minutes later. Canterbury would continue to score goals frequently throughout the contest in what was a clinical performance in the attacking circle from them. Canterbury put the icing on the cake in the final moments of the match when Sam Lane scored their seventh goal of the contest.

Southern Dogs 2 (Joe O’Connor 10 min, Callum Dempster 39 min)
Canterbury Cavaliers 7 (George Connell 13 min, Moss Jackson 14 min, Peter Anderson 34 min, Dominic Newman 35 min, Trent Summers 38 min, Gus Wakeling 40 min, Sam Lane 60 min)


2019 Ford NHL Women’s Tournament – Day 2

Canterbury were stunned on day one of the Ford NHL when Auckland scored with moments to go in the match to seal the win. Canterbury were looking strong and playing with confidence against a well-structured Tiger Turf North Harbour side. Canterbury got themselves in front in the 24thminute when a great out letting overhead led to a well-placed reverse stick shot. Hayley Cox extended the Canterbury lead just after the half time break with a well-timed shot that beat the North Harbour goalkeeper.  Tiger Turf North Harbour continued fighting hard as this young side was pushing for a goal to get themselves back into the contest. Tori Robinson scored with 5 minutes to go in the match to give the North Harbour side a chance, however it was too late as Canterbury would hold on to seal a tough 2-1 win.

Tiger Turf North Harbour 1 (Tori Robinson 55 min)
Canterbury Cats 2 (Emily Wium 24 min, Hayley Cox 34 min)

Auckland were full of confidence heading into this match having beaten rivals Canterbury with a last-minute goal the previous day. Madison Doar put Auckland in front in the fourth minute of the match when she picked up a loose ball in the circle and flicked it into the goal. The Southern Storm who have been playing some outstanding hockey this week continued to fight throughout the match, in the 36thminute Tyler Lench scored Aucklands second before with 11 minutes to go in the match Madison Doar finished off a great Auckland set piece goal with a flick into the Southern netting. The win saw Auckland in a commanding two wins from two matches in their pool.

Auckland 3 (Madison Doar 4, 49 min, Tyler Lench 36 min)
Southern 0

After seeing off the John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks in a sudden death shootout the previous evening, Mark Cromie Motor Group Northland were looking to build on that confidence building win by stunning the home side. Northland struck the front in the 16thminute with a great goal from Stacey Michelsen before minutes later Michelsen got a touch from a penalty corner to put the Northland side up by two goals. Bayleys Midlands struck back when Gemma McCaw managed to find the back of the net before Samaria Tugaga reestablished the Northland lead just before the half time break. Bayleys Midlands came out firing in the second half and applied significant pressure on the Northland defence. The match looked to be heading Northlands way until with only minutes to go in the match Natasha Brill and Gemma McCaw scored to send the match to a shootout. Bayleys Midlands thoroughly dominated the shootout and took the 2 points with a 2-0 shootout win.

Bayleys Midlands 3 (Gemma McCaw 20, 59 min, Natasha Brill 47 min)
Mark Cromie Motor Group Northland 3 (Stacey Michelsen 16, 19 min, Samaria Tugaga 28 min)

*Bayleys Midlands won shootout 2-0

The Ricoh Capital Women were looking to back up their impressive first outing at the Ford NHL where they pushed the Bayleys Midlands side all the way through their contest before falling 1-0. They took on a John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks side who were still seething from letting Northland score two late goals the previous evening to take the win. The Ricoh Capital Women found themselves in front in the match in the 6thminute when Estelle Macadre drag flicked into the right of the goal putting this young side up 1-0. Anna Wilocks jumped on a Capital defensive turnover and put a shot just wide of the Capital goalkeeper. Just after the half time break Kaitlin Cotter got on the score sheet with an outstanding one time sweep off a great baseline drive. The Capital side continued to push hard looking for the equalizer but couldn’t get through Centrals last line of defence as Central would go on to take a narrow 2-1 win.

John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks 2 (Anna Willocks 17 min, Kaitlin Cotter 34 min)
Ricoh Capital Women 1 (Estelle Macadre 6 min)



Hockey New Zealand Media release



Butali hit USIU, return to summit

By AYUMBA AYODI


Butali Sugar Warriors' Zack Aura (centre) tries to go pass USIU's Neville Mulupi (left) and Brayan Kiplimo (right) during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League match on September 15, 2019 at the City Park Stadium. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Defending champions Butali Sugar Warriors scored in the second and last quarter to hit United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) 2-0 to reclaim their men’s hockey Premier League lead on Sunday at City Park Stadium.

Constant Wakhura and evergreen Zack Aura notched home off penalty corners in the 19th and 50th minutes to uphold their unbeaten run and go back to the top with 27 points.

It was a better show from Dennis Owoka’s Butali Sugar, who had in the first leg been forced to a 3-3 draw by the varsity side that looked disjointed this time around, missing several open scoring opportunities.

Wazalendo had dislodged Butali from the top of the 10-team summit on Saturday when Danston Barasa sunk a double to see them crush Sailors 4-1 at City Park Stadium.

Wazalendo took the lead briefly with 26 points, but dropped back to second place after Butali’s third victory on the trot. Butali now have eight wins and three draws, while Wazalendo have eight wins, two draws and three losses.

“It’s a good win after we shared the spoils in the first leg. We had them at the back foot this time around and they couldn’t have a good shot on goal,” said Owoka after his team’s win.

“We defended well but our finishing could have done better especially from George Mutira and Amos Barkibir, who didn’t have a good game,” explained Owoka, adding that it’s something they must work on if they are to win this league competitively though the momentum is good.

USIU-A stand-in coach Stephen Wokila rued the absence of some of his key players due to suspension forcing them to make adjustments.

“Our finishing wasn’t good hence we must deal with it if we are to win matches,” said Wokila.

Sailors and USIU-A stayed sixth and seventh in the log with 14 and 13 points respectively.

In women’s Premier League, USIU Spartans upheld their strong grip over former champions Sliders, beating them 1-0 on Sunday at the same venue.

The varsity ladies had beaten the former champions 2-0 in the first leg.

The victory pushed the Spartans one place to second with 17 points drawn from five wins, two draws and a loss as they swapped places with Strathmore University Scorpions, who were not in action this weekend.

Champions Telkom top the log unbeaten with 26 points, while Strathmore are third with 15 points.

Daily Nation



Munster end 15-year wait for boys U-18 interpro glory


Munster celebrate their success. Pic: gpfoto.ie

Munster won their the Under-18 boys interprovincial title for the first time in 15 years as they produced an immaculate unbeaten run over the weekend in Stormont.

The run started on Friday afternoon when they fought back from a goal down to beat Ulster 2-1 with Chris Ryan popping up with the winner late on.

Conor Irwin had given the northern province the lead from corner before Kevin O’Dea levelled to start the comeback.

Leinster and Ulster shared a dramatic 4-4 draw on Friday evening with the latter winning a bonus point via a shoot-out 3-2.

Amazingly, the blues played out the exact same scoreline on day two as Munster fought back from 4-2 down to earn their shoot-out chance. Mark Collins opened the scoring before Evan Jennings and Ryan Spencer swapped the lead.

O’Dea equalised for 2-2 but a Craig Mackay goal made it 3-2 to Leinster at half-time. Adam Walker added another drag-flick goal for 4-2 but Collins and O’Dea tied things up. Leinster prevailed, though, to earn the extra point from the shoot-out.

It did prove an important point for Munster, though, in the grand scheme of things and the title was in their hands when Ben McInernery scored the only goal in a 1-0 success against Ulster on Saturday evening.

It gave them a four point lead going into the final day of the competition with Leinster needing to win both of their remaining games.

And they fulfilled the first half of that equation with a comprehensive 4-1 success over Ulster with Walker adding another two to his tournament tally.

It kept Munster honest, needing a result to win the crown and they duly did so with both McInerney and skipper Ian Balding on the mark in the first half to race into a 2-0 lead. They also hit the post during that spell and they held that advantage throughout the second half for a famous success, ending the province’s long wait for glory.

The Under-16 competition, meanwhile, was a one-sided affair with Ulster bossing the event from start to finish. They ran up a big 8-1 win over Munster in game one to set the tone on Friday and they backed that up with a narrow 2-1 win over Leinster, Ewan Cruickshank and Charlie Rowe building a 2-0 lead and keeping them out of range of James Forbes’ riposte.

Leinster got off the mark on Saturday morning with a 4-1 success against Munster but Ulster went six points clear overnight with a 7-0 win over the southerners.


The Ulster Under-16 winning side. Pic: gpfoto.ie

It meant a draw would be enough on Sunday morning against Leinster but they were rarely troubled as they added another 6-0 win to close out a perfect campaign.

Boys Interprovincials (all at Stormont)

Friday

Under-18: Ulster 1 (C Irwin) Munster 2 (K O’Dea, C Ryan); Ulster 4 (E Rowe, S Wylie, P McKane, M Aughey) Leinster 4 (T Power, A Walker, R Spencer, C Mackay), Ulster win shootout 3-2
Under-16: Ulster 8 (E Cruickshanks 3, D McElhinney 2, L Rowe, H Archbold, M Conor) Munster 1; Ulster 2 (C Rowe, E Cruickshank) Leinster 1 (J Forbes)

Saturday

Under-18: Munster 4 (M Collins 2, K O’Dea 2) Leinster 4 (E Jennings R Spencer, C Mackay, A Walker), Leinster win shoot-out 4-3; Munster 1 (B McInerney) Ulster 0
Under-16: Munster 1 (A Siegne) Leinster 4 (C Knatchbull 2, J Forbes, S Hickmott); Munster 0 Ulster 7 (M Conor 2, M Anderson, D McElhinney, C Matthews, E Cruickshank, L Rowe)

Sunday

Under-18: Leinster 4 (A Walker 2, T Power, C Mackay) Ulster 1 (E Rowe); Leinster 0 Munster 2 (B McInerney, I Balding)
Under-16: Leinster 0 Ulster 6 (E Cruickshank 2, C Rowe, M Conor, M Anderson, M McKee); Leinster 1 (A Fox) Munster 1 (K Read), Leinster win shoot-out 3-2

Final standings

Under-18: 1. Munster 10pts (+4) 2. Leinster 6pts (+1) 3. Ulster 2pts (-5)
Under-16: 1. Ulster 12pts (+21) 2. Leinster 4pts (-4) 3. Munster 1pts (-17)

The Hook



No. 4 Maryland field hockey dominates James Madison in 4-0 win

David Suggs


The Maryland field hockey team huddles up during its 4-0 win over James Madison on Sept. 15, 2019. (Gabby Baniqued/The Diamondback)

Holding a 4-0 lead late in the fourth quarter of its matchup against James Madison, Maryland field hockey assistant coach Marvin Bam implored his team to hold possession.

The Terps had been impressive on both ends of the field, peppering goalkeeper Caitlin Nelson with 17 shots on goal. Meanwhile, the defense looked impenetrable, with goalkeeper Noelle Frost making a series of strong saves to preserve her third shutout of the season.

But despite the Terps’ dominance, Bam pushed the team to stick to the tactics that had gotten it that far, especially after the emotional rollercoaster of Maryland’s shootout victory over No. 6 Virginia on Sunday.

And Maryland did just as Bam asked, as it had the whole game, dominating possession and limiting the Dukes to few chances en route to a 4-0 victory Sunday.

“I think we were a dominant team today,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We found a way to get two [penalty] strokes, which is great.”

Maryland built off the intensity of Friday’s matchup, with midfielder Emma DeBerdine forcing Nelson into a save early in the first quarter. The subsequent goalmouth scramble resulted in a penalty stroke, and defender Riley Donnelly swept the ball into the bottom left corner to give the Terps a 1-0 lead.

“Taking strokes, more than anything, is a mental game,” Donnelly said, “I just tried to tell myself that I’m just at practice, taking strokes and just go from there.”

Maryland’s attack continued to probe, with Nelson making five more saves to keep the Dukes in the game. And while James Madison managed to create a few half-chances from their two penalty corners, they weren’t able to test Maryland’s cage, failing to record a shot on goal in the first quarter.

It was more of the same for coach Missy Meharg’s squad in the second frame, with midfielder Madison Maguire extending Maryland’s lead three minutes into the second. Midfielder Kelee Lepage drifted into the shooting circle after a sustained period of possession for the Terps before firing a shot toward Nelson’s cage. And while Nelson fought off Lepage’s effort, she was helpless to Maguire’s rebound — her fourth goal of the season.

“[Maguire is] a leader … other teams respect her so much,” Meharg said. “You can be sure that where she goes people will clear with her and open up space for others.”

Meanwhile, the Terps’ backline was equal to any James Madison attack in the second quarter, holding the Dukes shotless.

The Terps continued to show off their attacking prowess in the second half. Maguire was denied a chance to get her second goal of the game, with her backhanded effort caroming off the post early in the third quarter. Shortly thereafter, defender Bodil Keus rifled a shot into the top corner off of a Bibi Donraadt penalty corner to push Maryland’s lead to three.

And after the Dukes were judged to have infringed upon a Maryland goal-scoring opportunity, Donnelly slotted away her second penalty stroke of the game to give the Terps a 4-0 lead.

Frost was called into action toward the end of the third period, diving low to fight off a Caroline Cahill shot before batting away a couple of rebounded efforts to protect Maryland’s clean sheet.

With the Terps holding a commanding lead entering into the fourth quarter, Meharg rotated the squad, with goalkeeper Skye Joegriner replacing Frost midway through the frame.

“When you [have] a three-goal difference, you can start having different people play,” Meharg said. “[They] serve each other to get as many of their teammates into games.”

And while the Terps weren’t able to add a goal in the fourth, the defense kept James Madison’s attack at bay, with Joegriner forced into making only one save for the Terps, who moved to 6-1 on the season.

With matchups against No. 17 Penn State and No. 5 Princeton looming, the Terps will be aiming to build on what has been a fruitful Terrapin Invitational.

“We just keep on going,” midfielder Nathalie Fiechter said, “We want to win everything we can.”

The Diamondback



Penn field hockey remains winless on season after pair of tight losses

Sophomore forward Madison Jiranek scored three of Penn's four goals

By Tyira Bunche


Credit: Christian Walton

Penn field hockey continues to struggle to put its offense and defense together, as the team remains winless on the season.

The Quakers looked to bounce back this weekend after losing their first two games in shutouts to ranked opponents. They had a good chance to get in the win column with games against unranked competition in Monmouth and Villanova. However, at the end of the weekend, the Red and Blue stayed winless on the season with losses to the Hawks, 4-2, and the Wildcats, 3-2.

On Friday, the Quakers (0-4) broke their scoreless drought with their first goal of the season by sophomore midfielder Gracyn Banks in the second quarter. One minute later, sophomore forward Madison Jiranek followed up with a goal of her own. That was the last bright spot for Penn in the game, as the Hawks (4-2) would score four unanswered goals to win the contest.

The Quakers looked to turn the tables in their home opener against Villanova (3-1). However, the story was almost identical to the team’s loss against Monmouth.

Penn opened the scoring in the first period, with a goal from Jiranek giving the Quakers a quick lead. The advantage was brief, however, as Villanova came back with a goal of its own to tie the game. The second period was quiet, and the game remained knotted at one at halftime. Jiranek came back after halftime with a goal to give the Red and Blue a 2-1 lead.  However, the defense faltered, allowing two goals that gave Villanova the lead for good.

In the two games, Penn allowed a total of 17 shots on goal. A point of emphasis for coach Colleen Fink was for the defense to apply more pressure and to step in to intercept passes.

In both games, Penn managed to score first, yet after giving up their leads, the Red and Blue were unable to come back from the deficit.

“We just need to have more aggression going forward and just leave it all out there,” Jiranek said. “We know what we have to do to get around them and score. We just have to keep pushing and keep that aggressive mentality going.”

For the Quakers, the problem is not only the defense giving up goals, but also the offense not generating enough goals to close out games. In their game against Monmouth, the Red and Blue matched the Hawks’ shots on goal with 16. On Sunday, the Quakers out-shot the Wildcats, 20-13, but they only managed to convert those shots into two goals in each game.

“I like the offense that we’re generating. We’re getting a lot of good looks, attack has been playing with a lot more tenacity,” Fink said. “But the quality of the shots and the ability to move the goalkeeper is where we need to improve.”

Despite Penn’s tough start to the season, the group will try to leave these games behind and look toward the rest of the season.

“We’re all pretty frustrated and angry right now,” Jiranek said. “We have been talking a lot about forgetting about these first four games but remembering all the bad things that went wrong and using it to fuel us.”

The schedule will continue to be challenging for the Red and Blue, as next Sunday they will travel across town to face yet another ranked opponent, No. 17 St. Joe’s. 

The Daily Pennsylvanian



Iowa field hockey falls to Duke in double overtime

In a battle of top-10 teams, the Blue Devils snuck past the Hawkeyes 2-1 at Grant Field.

Jahlynn Hancock


Iowa midfielder Ellie Holley runs after the ball during a field hockey game between Iowa and Duke at Grant Field on Sunday, September 15, 2019. The Hawkeyes were defeated by the Blue Devils, 2-1 after two overtime periods. Hannah Kinson

The No. 7 Iowa field hockey team suffered its second loss of the season on Sunday. The Hawkeyes took No. 2 Duke to double overtime at Grant Field but lost 2-1 after a sudden victory goal.

Duke freshman Hannah Miller scored a goal on the 41st minute to open the scoring for the Blue Devils, making it 1-0. With Iowa trailing behind, sophomore Anthe Nijziel scored a tying goal in the 48th minute of the game on Duke goalkeeper Sammi Steele.

The goal forced overtime with the score tied at one. In the second overtime, Miller scored another goal for Duke and secured the Blue Devil victory.

The Hawkeyes continue to move through their season with progression on game plans, individual skills, and team skills.

“They did everything that we had asked them to do,” head coach Lisa Cellucci stated. “We knew that the girls could play like that and have shown it this season when we played against North Carolina.”

Iowa field hockey not only stands out as a well-structured team, but from the coaching staff, leadership development, physical toughness and mental toughness, this team has the ability to apply pressure where they need it.

“You have to take a hit and adjust,” senior Katie Birch said. “Field hockey is physical; it’s a part of the game.”

The physical and mental build of Iowa’s field hockey team is starting platform for future season successes for Iowa and the field hockey program.

“[Birch] played unbelievable today,” Cellucci said. “To get hit in the face and come back out, not subbing out of the overtime, shows grit.”

Sunday’s game did not end the way Iowa wanted, but being able to take the No. 2 team to double overtime shows the defensive structure and mental toughness of the team.

“We just told the team this has to fuel them going forward,” Cellucci said. “That’s the number two team in the country, and we had them in double overtime. We know the brand of hockey that we can play, and we just have to go back to work on Tuesday and be able to bring that same level of energy and replicate it.”

The Hawkeyes next compete Sept. 21 against in Ann Arbor, Michigan. `

The Daily Iowan



Yale loses momentum in Virginia

Jared Fel


Sam Rubin

This weekend, Yale’s field hockey looked to maintain its momentum from a 4–0 shutout, but things went quickly awry for the Bulldogs and their lackluster offense in two games against nationally-ranked opponents in Virginia.

While the Elis (1–3, 0–0 Ivy) played well defensively, especially considering the fact that they were up against No. 16 Liberty (4–0, 0–0 Big East) and No. 6 Virginia (5–1, 0–0 ACC), the opposite was true for their offense, which scored just two goals in 120 minutes. Against the Flames on Saturday, the game got out of hand quickly as Liberty shot out to a 2–0 lead in the first quarter before pulling ahead 3–1 in the second. While Yale managed to cut the deficit to a single goal the following quarter, their two goals against Liberty would be all the Bulldogs scored for the remainder of the weekend. The first three quarters against Virginia on Sunday showcased some of the best defense the Elis have played all season, but two fourth-quarter goals by the Cavaliers extinguished any hope Yale had for pulling off an upset.

“From these two games we learned that when we play together as a team, work the simple game, and connect as a unit we can hold our own, and even dominate, against top teams like UVA and Liberty,” back Katie Pieterse ’22 said. “These games proved how well we as a team can take the field and show our opponent who [Yale field hockey] is. We can only continue our upward trend of confidence and true teamwork from this weekend going forward.”

The road weekend kicked off with a game against Liberty, but within 14 minutes the Bulldogs already found themselves in a two-goal deficit that proved to be too much to overcome. The first of those two goals came midway through the first, when forward Jill Bolton scored on a blast from the left side. Just one minute later, midfielder Alivia Klopp made it 2–0 on an assist from Bolton.

Halfway into the second, a beautiful crossing pass from forward Imogen Davies ’21 to forward Anissa Abboud’s ’21 stick cut the deficit in half. Whatever momentum that was conjured up from this goal, however, was quickly suppressed 40 seconds later when midfielder Lizzie Hamlett tipped one in during a penalty corner, making it 3–1 Liberty.

A penalty corner goal by forward Olivia Levieux ’21 early in the second half pulled Yale within one goal again, but the Bulldogs were held scoreless for the rest of the game and went on to lose 4–2. The score did not do justice to the incredible performance from Yale goalkeeper Sydney Terroso ’21, who kept Yale in the game with an astounding nine saves in the first half alone and went on to finish with 12 total.

The Elis entered Sunday’s game against Virginia in the same manner as they did in last Sunday’s game against Sacred Heart — having dropped the weekend opener and in need of a split. The big difference, however, was that it would be against the sixth-ranked team in the country.

Corners proved to be the decisive factor in the contest. With the game still scoreless in the second quarter, Cavalier defender Cato Geusgens put one in the back of the net on a penalty corner to make it 1–0. Later in the opening minutes of the fourth, it was Geusgens again — also on a penalty — who put the game out of reach by making it 2–0 on her second goal.

“We played really well overall,” Abboud said. “Being able to keep top teams like UVA 1-0 for almost half of a game is huge. It really shows how we’ve been growing as a team. We also put up a good fight against these teams and made them earn their goals.”

For much of the game, the Eli defense went toe to toe with an incredible Virginia offense. Terroso tallied six saves on the day, while  a defensive save from back Holly Jackson ’20 and excellent midfield work from Théodora Dillman ’22 kept Virginia at bay for much of the afternoon.

Yale hits the road again to take on Wagner in Staten Island this Friday at 4 p.m.

Yale News

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