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News for 08 March 2021

All the news for Monday 8 March 2021


Double victories complete for Netherlands women & Germany men



The Netherlands women and Germany men both claimed a maximum six points from their FIH Hockey Pro League fixtures at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen this weekend, with the two teams adding to Saturday’s wins with hard-earned victories on Sunday.

The Netherlands women produced a dominant display to claim their second triumph pver Germany in two days, with Player of the Match Lidewij Welten scoring twice as the Oranje moved 12 points clear at the top of the FIH Hockey Pro League standings with a 3-0 score-line.

The hosts took a 1-0 lead after 65 seconds when Pien Dicke tapped home from close range after Welten had forced a save from Germany goalkeeper Julia Sonntag. Although Germany held their own for much of the first half, the Netherlands were simply outstanding in the second, with Welten scoring two wonderful open play strikes in the 34thand 36th minutes to put the match beyond the reach of Die Danas. The score-line could easily have been greater, with penalty corner expert Caia van Maasakker seeing a first half drag-flick rattle the post before hitting the crossbar in the second half.

When asked if it was the perfect match from the Netherlands, Welten said: "It was definitely close to it. I think we could have scored more goals. Yesterday was good, but today was better. That is what we wanted to do today, and I think in everything that we did, we did it better than yesterday. I think we played great as a team today, so that makes it easier for the individual to play good."

Germany captain Janne Müller-Wieland offered her thoughts on the contest, stating: “There is a lot of things we need to get into and develop. But in terms of things that happened [today], we weren't quick enough, and if Lidewij Welten gets a chance like that of course she is executes it. If you sleep for one second you get punished for it, so I think that is something we need to work on."

More information on the game can be found by clicking here.

While the Netherlands women completed a double victory, it was double defeat for their counterparts in the men’s team, who went down to second loss in two days against Kais Al-Saadi’s reinvigorated Germany side. Die Honamas are now up to fourth in the FIH Hockey Pro League standings, with 13 points from the six matches they have played. The Netherlands men remain in second place, some 14 points behind league leaders Belgium.

The Netherlands were much improved in Sunday’s game but fell behind 11 minutes in when Justus Weigand deflected home from close range in a feisty contest between two giants of European hockey. Seve Van Ass restored parity with a fine solo effort after half time, but Germany’s Weigand scored his second of the game against the run of play with nine minutes remaining. The Netherlands replaced goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak – who made his 100thsenior international appearance – with an outfield player for the final two minutes, attempting to swing the contest back in their favour. However, it was Germany who benefitted when Mats Grambusch fired into an empty net to give his team a maximum six points from the weekend.  

"When you [look at] our last one or two years, I wasn't 100 percent sure that we would win twice in the Netherlands”, said Germany attacker Christopher Rühr, who was named Player of the Match. “We have developed very well as a team in the past few weeks, and that has shown today and yesterday. I think we put in 100 percent in both games, and that is very important against a strong Netherlands side, because we know it is always tough against them."

Dutch goal-scorer Seve van Ass said: "Obviously we are here to win games, although I think today was a bit different to yesterday. I felt we had control today in most parts of the game. The first half maybe not so much, but definitely in the second half, where we felt really in control. At 1-1 I felt we were going to push through to 2-1. They had some cards, and we missed that opportunity."

More information on the game can be found by clicking here.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the Watch.Hockey app, event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

FIH Hockey Pro League 

Sunday 7 March 2021 – Amstelveen (NED)

Women’s result: Netherlands 3, Germany 0 (Match 2 of 2)
Player of the Match:
Lidewij Welten (NED)
Umpires: Celine Martin-Schmetz (BEL), Coen van Bunge (NED) and Jonas van 't Hek (NED - video)Men’s result: Netherlands 1, Germany 3 (Match 2 of 2)
Player of the Match:
Christopher Rühr (GER)
Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Jonas van ‘t Hek (NED) and Coen van Bunge (NED - video)

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Official FIH Pro League Site



Dutch women and German men claim second FIH Hockey Pro League wins

By Michael Houston


The Netherlands and Germany have both recorded two Pro League wins over the past two days ©Getty Images

Germany's men and The Netherlands' women's team ensured they won two matches from two in the latest round of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Pro League

Following a 2-1 victory against Germany yesterday, the Dutch women's team looked even more dominant today with a 3-0 win at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen.

Young forward Pien Dicke opened the scoring after just two minutes and after a match of solid possession and an array of shots, experienced forward Lidewij Welten scored a quickfire double early in the second half to seal the win.

Germany could only muster one shot to The Netherlands' 16.

In the men's contest, Germany defeated the hosts again as young attacker Justus Weigand scored twice in a 3-1 triumph.

Weigand scored in the first period before Seve van Ass equalised for the Dutch shortly after the restart.

But two late goals in the fourth period from Weigan and midfielder Mats Grambusch secured victory for Germany.

Germany have now moved up to fourth in the men's standings after only six matches and are close behind The Netherlands in second, who have played 11.

The Netherlands still sit well clear at the top of the women's standings after 10 matches, while Germany are seventh out of nine after playing four games.

Inside the Games



On International Women's Day, Subhadra recalls her Hockey career moments

K ARUMUGAM & SATISH SHARMA



She took up the challenge of pursuing hockey at the top level. It took courage and determination to meet the challenges that a woman faces while pursuing sport and she did her parents and country proud. Yet, sadly, Subhadra Pradhan is likely to believe she hasn’t done enough to change prejudice and archaic perceptions about women’s status in society.

On International Woman’s Day, let’s spare a thought for Subhadra, former international who lived up to the fine hockey tradition of her village in Odisha.



“My parents were elated when I got my first break. In 2003 when after winning the Afro-Asian gold medal I returned to my village. The entire Balisankra block erupted into joy and jubilation. Five players of our block — Dilip Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Binita Toppo, Nilima Kujur and myself were part of winning teams and received a rousing welcome,” she flashes back.

For all that, Subhadra laments that attitudes have far from changed in her household. “My father is typical conservative man,” she says. “I wished to support him in building a bigger home at our village. But he refused to accept ‘his daughter’s money’ to construct a house. As a result, we still live in a modest dwelling in our village.”

Poignant, indeed. Especially when you go back in time and perceive her aspirations, her efforts and their fruition that bloomed in spectacular performances on the hockey pitch.

Like her most memorable match at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. “We were down 0-2 against South Africa. I scored two goals and leveled the match. It took us to semifinals. Had we lost against South Africa we would have been knocked out.

“Then, I remember the other moment — at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. We were playing against South Korea and leading 1-0 in the bronze medal match. The Koreans dented our defence in the last minute and a player pushed the ball goalwards. I put all my energy in the dive and brought off a goal line save. It ensured us a medal!”

“I will never forget those two matches,” Subhadra, 35, recollects with pride and joy.

She is modest. There were instances aplenty when the careful watcher of the game would have noticed her steady, stellar and successful role in every match that she played in her decade long career.


Pivot Subhadra Pradhan was the Best Player of the Tournament, 1999 Asia Cup. Pic: K. Arumugam

The most important one, according the writer duo of course, is when Subhadra stood like a Rock of Gibraltar in the semifinals of the 2009 Asia Cup. India was in dire need of winning the match to qualify for the 2010 Rosario World Cup. India was leading by a slender lead, a solitary one. Korean girls produced a series of penalty corners in the dying moments to force the match into tie-breaker but there was Subhadra to deny them by charging, clearing and twice making acrobatic saves. The Indian coach was adamant that day that only she should get the Player of the Tournament award, if it was to come for India.

But there have also been disappointments– part and parcel of sporting life — and Subhadra has had her share. She laments at not playing in the Olympics.“I participated in three qualifying tournaments but we couldn’t cross the hurdle,” the former midfielder says ruefully. “So after the 2012 qualifying tournament in New Delhi, I decided to call it a day.”

Hers was an illustrious career. Subhadra was a member of the team that clinched gold at the 2004 Asia Cup and the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She and Jasjeet Kaur broke new ground for Indian women players when she joined Dutch club HC Den Bosch in 2007.

Subhadra now works as Office Superintendent at Ranchi (South Eastern Railway). She is married to Pradeep Kumar Naik, an ex-employee of HAL, Bengaluru, in 2009, and the couple have two daughters aged six and four.


As bride

Subhadra hung up her stick in 2012 but has donned the role of coach, guiding the local men’s team at Ranchi . She looks back to her hockey career with a deep sense of gratitude to former coach MK Kaushik. “He always backed me, brought me to the senior team from the junior ranks and has always stood behind me. He played me for the entire match duration of 70 minutes,” Subhadra gushed in praise of her former mentor and coach.

She felt for “Kaushik Sir” when he was embroiled in a controversy. “It was a really sad moment. He never ever made any unwanted gesture towards any of the girls. I felt really sorry for him during that episode. “I will always remain thankful to him for the progress I made in my international career,” Subhadra says. “I am also grateful to Walia Sir, coach of the junior team,” she reveals.

Going further back during her days at Panposh Hostel, she recalls Bijay Lakra, A N Bihari, Milton Billung and KC Choudhary who shaped her hockey skills.



And Subhadra is upbeat on the women’s team of today. “It has improved. I am happy they are playing in the Olympics and that women players are earning more money. I often think that players of my era possess more medals but those of today earn more money than we did. And that’s because of the Odisha government’s policy of rewarding the players with an open hand,” she reasons.

And she cannot forget icon Dilip Tirkey’s role in the promotion of not just hockey, but crucially women’s hockey. “He hails from our village. In those days girls hardly took to hockey there. We began playing in earnest at the Hostel. But now, village girls are picking up the stick and have started playing in numbers,” Subhadra reveals.

Her cup of joy appears to be brimming when she notes that Odisha and Jharkhand are producing more women international players than men. And that’s a big plus that Subhadra, the brave heart in India colours in days gone by, will celebrate as women around the world rally today in hope, prayer and resolve.

All photos: K. Arumugam Collection

Stick2Hockey.com



Pritam Siwach: Smashing Patriarchy With A Hockey Stick & Unbridled Passion

Dashing forward Pritam Rani was undisputed queen of the hockey turf during her hey day. Her international career spanned a record 17 years. The diminutive dynamo is the only mother of two to play for the country! Her zeal and enthusiasm still continues in the form of mentoring a highly successful Academy. Three of her finds are in the current Indian national team. Not to mention her son who dons the country’s colours.

By TAZEEN QURESHY



In the early 1980s, a young girl stood on a kho-kho ground of a government school waiting for her chance to play. The school in Jharsa in Gurugram, Haryana, where she studied, was famous in the neighbouring villages for its hockey team. She also wanted to be a part of it, but was denied.

“Tum healthy ho. Nahin khel paogi. (You are healthy. You won’t be able to play),” she would be told by the seniors and coaches.

Almost every day, she would return home sulking and lost and narrate the incident to her grandmother, who would console her.

“But, I want to play and I need a hockey stick,” the girl would complain every day until her grandmother went to the neighbours and asked for a hockey stick.

That is how Pritam Rani Siwach, former India women’s captain and one of India’s most successful players, got her first hockey stick – a borrowed one.


Pritam in a joyous mood

“Coming from a family of farmers, it wasn’t financially feasible for my family to fulfil all our demands. So, my grandmother got me a borrowed stick. But even after I had a hockey stick, I was not allowed to play. I would be asked to stand in a corner and wait for my turn which never came. I would gather some pebbles and try dribbling with it,” she says with a laugh.

Pritam’s Physical Education teacher, late Tara Chand, spotted her passion and decided to give her a chance. She didn’t disappoint him and thus began the hockey journey of Pritam Rani Siwach.

The journey wasn’t easy. Her coach was very strict and would punish her for slightest of the mistakes. But that is what shaped her into a good player, she believes.

From the school team, she climbed up the success ladder and was eventually selected for the Haryana state team. “It was a big moment for me. I was representing my state. I was happy but somewhere in my heart I knew I wanted more. I wanted to wear the Indian jersey.”

However, her dreams were not supported by her extended family. Her male relatives pressurised her father to get her married.


Early laurels, Chennai Nationals

“In a village set-up, it was common for young girls to marry early. The marriage of my elder sister was fixed and my uncles told my father to get me married as well. Since we lived in a joint family, my father had to oblige to their demands and started my marriage preparations.”

Pritam decided to be brave and stand up for her dreams. She spoke to her mother, who was supportive. Then she approached her father, who rejected her decision outright. After a lot of pleading and crying, her father gave her only two-years to play hockey.

“Honestly, I was buying time. My plan was to get selected into the Indian team so that my family would have no issues to let me continue playing hockey. Selection for the Indian team used to happen in the Nationals and I would give more than 100 per cent in it,” says Pritam.


Pritam was byword for determination

Once again, her idea worked and she was called for the national camp. Initially, she was made part of the Indian senior team, but later asked to play for the junior team first as she was the youngest. Her first tournament in the Indian team was playing the Indira Gold Cup at Chandigarh in 1991. A year later, she went to play her first overseas trip – the Junior Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I was very excited to play at an international venue and sit on an aeroplane. However, the tournament didn’t go as we expected. We had practiced a lot but still were losing games. I was younger and was not able to understand what was going wrong. We did win a bronze and I became the top scorer in the tournament.”

Back home, Pritam had become a star. She was famouly called as Jharsa ki Rani’. Upon her return, she was welcomed in her village with dholaks, and a lot of singing and dancing. Job offers from Air India, Railways also started pouring in. The two-year ‘deal’ of playing hockey with her father was forgotten. She continued to play and prosper and became a regular in the senior Indian team.

Pritam, in fact, led the Indian team to win silver in the 1998 Asian Games. This was India’s first appearance in the final of Asian Games in 16 years. Accolades didn’t wait and she was conferred with the Arjuna Award. ‘Arjuna’ women’s hockey player  after 14 years!


Meeting Dy Prime Minister (r) and Sports Ministers (partly hidden) after the CWG Gold, 2002

“Everything was going well, but I had turned 24. So, the marriage episode made a re-entry,” Pritam laughs. This time, it was difficult to convince her parents to give up on the idea of her marriage. “Captain ban gayi. India Khel gayi. Award bhi mil gaya. Aur kya chahiye? (You have become a captain, played for the Indian team and also got awards. What else do you need?” her family would say.

Fortunately, the marriage proposal had come from a hockey player, who like Pritam, represented the Railways. “It was time to make another ‘deal.’ Allow me to play even after marriage, I told him. He thought I was joking and casually agreed. But I was straight up – I will marry only if I am allowed to play.”

Her husband Pritam agreed and they got married in February 1999. But, she conceived soon after and became pregnant. “Of course I was happy and my son was born in 2000. But there was also a thought of my career, which I thought was fading away. I shared my emotions with my husband, who told me I should start playing.”

Three months after she was born, Pritam was back on the ground for her training. Fitness became the most crucial part as she had gained 74kgs. She was also breast-feeding her son, so she felt weak. Her husband would take care of her diet and bring unadulterated milk for her, while her mother-in-law would take care of her infant son.

“The taunts were brutal. Some of them would taunt me for leaving my child and playing. Others would make fun that I had gained weight and was trying to play a sport. But Kuldeep asked me not to bother. My in-laws lived in a joint family set-up. So, to maintain peace in the family, I would complete my share of work, take care of my child and also focus on my training. It was difficult, but when was breaking societal conventions easy for women?” she asks.

Much before boxer Mary Kom’s comeback after delivering a child left everyone stunned in India, Pritam Rani Siwach had already done the impossible. She was not only called back to the camp but also made it to the squad of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.


Pritam engaging her son at half time of a match.

“The greatest moment of my career was the Commonwealth Games. It was a comeback of sorts for me. I had left my child at home and come so far to play. I wanted to settle for nothing less than gold. Our team was an underdog and not much was being expected from us. But, we took advantage of the minimal chances we got and won the gold. Our achievement was so inspiring that the movie ‘Chak De’ was made on us,” she says.

In 2004, she started an academy in Sonepat, where she trains young girls for free. “I don’t want other girls to face the hardships that I had to go through. Though I have minimal resources, but I believe the training is going well. Most of the players in the Haryana team are from my academy. Players like Neha Goyal, Sharmila and Nisha have played for the Indian team.”

In 2005, her daughter was born and a year later, Kuldeep encouraged her to pursue a formal coaching course in NIS, Patiala. “While undergoing that course, the thought of playing for India again crossed my mind. This time when I told my husband, he started laughing. But, I had certain madness in me that had helped me succeed so far. With the same zeal, I started training and made it to the Olympic qualifiers team in 2008. Unfortunately, we couldn’t qualify and that was the last time I played for India,” said the mother of two.


After causing such a damage to the rivals the wrecker-in-chief strikes a goal.

Her tryst with Indian hockey was still not over. She took over as the coach of the team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. “But, coaching in my academy and the India team are two different things. Coaching Indian team is easier because you get a lot of support in terms of analytical coach, video analysis. When it comes to training the grassroot level players, you are creating a base for them. If the base is not strong, then the entire career can go to waste. So, I started focussing more on my academy.”

Pritam Rani has inspired a generation of players to break from stereotypes and social conventions to listen to their heart. She has only one message for other women:

“These days the slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ is very famous. But, it should be ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Beti Khilao.’ As women, we have to stand for ourselves and at times also against our family. But if your ambition is pure, you should go for it, no matter what. Don’t let people subdue you just because you are a woman.”

PRITAM UNDOUBTEDLY IS A WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE

Stick2Hockey.com



UNC field hockey uses all opportunities in 2-0 spring-opening win over Louisville

By Rithvik Chelasani


Redshirt junior forward Meredith Sholder looks for a pass during the game against Louisville at Karen Shelton Stadium on Friday, March 5, 2021. Photo courtesy of Jeff Camarati/UNC Athletics.Photo by JEFFREY A. CAMARATI | The Daily Tar Heel

Opportunity.

Sports so often come down to opportunity — which team gets the most chances, and which team takes the biggest advantage of them.

It was those opportunities that defined the North Carolina field hockey team's spring-opening 2-0 win over Louisville on Friday. Time and again, the Cardinals would press against the Tar Heels' defense, seemingly on the verge of scoring. And time and again, the Tar Heels made crucial stops.

Last fall, the two-time defending national champion Tar Heels had been on a 47-game win streak — the second longest in NCAA field hockey history and the longest active streak in all NCAA sports — when they were upset by the Cardinals.

Despite the loss, UNC was able to bounce back and beat Louisville in the fall season's ACC Championship. Even months removed from that game, the Tar Heels showed that they still had the Cardinals' number.

"We just kept talking about what can we do to shut down certain players on their team,” senior goalie Amanda Hendry said. “It was good to just come out and actually apply what we’ve done in practice, and it was a great start to our season.”

The Cardinals almost set the pace from the get-go, earning two early penalty corners, both of which North Carolina defended. But the Tar Heels would then go on to earn two successive penalty corners of their own, with junior forward Erin Matson putting the ladder in the net.

As the bout continued, it became clear that penalty corners were the name of the game. The Cardinals would finish with 10 corners to UNC's five, but the Tar Heels' staunch defending was able to hold the Cardinals scoreless from the corner, ensuring that they never had an opportunity to take over the game.

“I’ve been working with these specific girls now for almost two years, and we’ve really grown as a corner unit together," Hendry said. "We struggled a little bit in the fall, but I think this game is the best game they’ve ever played as a corner unit, and I was really proud of them.”

On the other side, the Tar Heels were able to take advantage of their own opportunities, converting their five corners attempts into two goals in the ensuing plays, both from Matson. Despite the high efficiency of North Carolina’s play, though, the two-time All-American said her team still has work to do.

"We do a decent job of getting corners when we get inside the circle, but we don’t always put the ball in the back of the net,” Matson said. “It’s gonna be a focus for us this entire spring.”

Head coach Karen Shelton agreed that the team needed to keep improving. While both Louisville and UNC are excellent teams poised to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament this spring, Friday's game came down to the fact that one unit seized its opportunities with both hands, while the other let its slip through their fingers.

"I thought they owned the third quarter and we’re not happy about that,” Shelton said. “But we were able to weather their surge and shut them out and come away with a big win.”

The Daily Tar Heel



Maryland field hockey drops rematch with Northwestern, 2-1

Shane Connuck


Forward Mayv Clune with the ball in Maryland field hockey's 6-0 win over Indiana on Oct. 13, 2019 at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. (Gabby Baniqued/The Diamondback)

Emma DeBerdine headed to the backline to trigger a fourth quarter penalty corner for a Riley Donnelly shot, just as Maryland field hockey has done numerous times this season.

But Northwestern was ready. It disrupted the insertion and fired a coast-to-coast pass from one 23-meter line to the other, where an open Bente Baekers dashed to the cage.

Baekers flicked the ball beyond Noelle Frost’s grasp, giving the Wildcats a lead with about five minutes left. And it was all Northwestern needed to emerge victorious in Virginia Beach, Virginia, defeating coach Missy Meharg’s squad, 2-1.

The Terps struggled to find the back of the cage Sunday morning. They leave the Big Ten at the Beach with a pair of wins and two losses to Northwestern.

“Never accustomed to accepting losing,” Meharg said. “Although the reality on the wins that we had throughout the quarters was very promising for us.”

Maryland (2-2) started the morning with a huge blow. The Wildcats (3-1) fired a side-in onto the pitch, and the ball struck Terps midfielder Taylor Mason in the face. The junior instantly fell to the turf and had to exit the match for the rest of the first quarter.

Last Sunday, the Terps suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Wildcats after drawing seven penalty corners in the first quarter.

A stark contrast from last week, it took over 14 minutes for either team to earn one. It was Maryland that did so first, and Riley Donnelly took a shot that rolled wide.

With the sun high in the sky Sunday morning, the Terps were on a different pitch at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex than they were for their first three matches of the season.

“It was just a really hard field to play penalty corners on, which made it harder to get the final shot off,” Bibi Donraadt said.

As Mason returned to the pitch in the second quarter, the Terps continued to attack. But Wildcats goalkeeper Anna Skubisz wouldn’t let anything past her.

Maryland’s defense kept Northwestern from earning a penalty corner for over 21 minutes into the match. Once the Wildcats finally earned one, Terps goalkeeper Noelle Frost came up with a stop.

They followed it up with another corner two minutes later. And midfielder Lakin Barry broke the deadlock, whipping a strike through a sea of limbs to slot past Frost.

As Maryland found itself with an early deficit, it also found itself defending yet another Northwestern corner. But the Terps dealt with the Wildcats threat this time around. Soon, the whistle blew for halftime. Northwestern took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

About five minutes into the third quarter, the Terps thought they had their first goal. Mason launched a shot that found the back of the cage. But it was waved off, and Maryland’s dry spell continued.

But seconds later, forward Bibi Donraadt delivered. The junior rifled a shot into the cage from just inside the right side of the shooting circle, knotting the match at one. The goal was Donraadt’s first of the season.

Throughout the third quarter, Frost continued to contain a strong Wildcats attack.

“I just really trust her being back there,” Donraadt said of Frost, who made seven saves.

With under a minute left, the Terps’ offense surged and drew another penalty corner, which elicited some cheers from the Maryland sideline.

Off an insertion from Emma DeBerdine, a few passes led to a Nathalie Fiechter effort being deflected and eventually kicked away by Skubisz. This gave the Terps another, and Mayv Clune’s shot couldn’t hit.

About three minutes into the fourth, the Wildcats earned a penalty corner, and the ensuing shot was kicked away by Frost. Northwestern snagged the rebound and fired a backhanded shot, but Frost was equal to it once again.

“I think the culture of Maryland field hockey plays fast hockey,” Meharg said. “We actually just played deeper in defense, which I thought gave us an incredible opportunity to counter attack and have good looks and good full shots.”

With about five minutes left, Maryland drew a penalty corner of its own. Donnelly had the ball taken away from her by the Wildcats’ strong defense, and it quickly sent the ball up the pitch with a long pass.

Forward Bente Baekers corralled the pass and bolted up the field from left to right. The redshirt sophomore headed toward the cage and poked the ball into the cage. After video review, the goal stood. And Northwestern took a 2-1 lead late, one it would protect en route to a second-straight victory over Meharg’s squad.

“Our tactics were spot-on. We played a very good brand of hockey,” Meharg said. “Bente Baekers is a very skillful player, and I think we just have to take the risks and continue growing together and working on our new backfield.”

The Diamondback



Nittany Lion Field Hockey Falls 1-0 to Hawkeyes in Virginia Beach

Second period goal is the difference in tough loss to Iowa



UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (1-2, 1-1 B1G) dropped a hard-fought game to Iowa (4-0, 3-0 B1G) this afternoon in a Big Ten contest. Head coach Char Morett-Curtiss' squad lost 1-0 to the Hawkeyes in a game played in Virginia Beach, Va. Being the second game between the two squads, the result counts overall for the teams but not in the Big Ten standings.
 
The teams traded possessions early in the opening period.  Just over 10:00 into the first period, Iowa's offensive pressure forced Penn State into a foul in the circle and a penalty stroke ensued.  Lion goalie Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) stood firm in the cage, knocking the stroke to the side to keep the game scoreless as the cock moved below 5:00 in the period.  Penn State's pushed back another Penn State effort before Bree Bednarski (Wyoming, Pa.) was able to take possession of the ball and move it down the sideline, into Iowa territory.  The two teams battled evenly for the rest of the period and the game moved to the second tied 0-0.
 
The second period began with Penn State's defense, anchored by senior Madison Hutson (Gloucester Point, Va.), worked to push early Iowa pressure back.  The Hawkeyes were able to keep the ball on the Nittany Lion side of the field but Penn State's defense was able to hold firm.  Senior Abby Myers (Hartland, Wis.), worked the ball through the Iowa defense at the 12:30 mark and passed the ball to Bednarksi, who's shot went just wide of the cage.  Iowa took the ball, however, and moved back to the Lion circle and forced a penalty corner with 10:04 on the clock.  But Barraco and the Lion defense kept Iowa from scoring and the game stayed scoreless.  Iowa's offensive pressure paid off, however, as the Hawkeyes forced a penalty corner with just under 5:00 left in the half.  Iowa's Anthe Nijziel connected for a goal off the corner and Iowa led 1-0 at halftime.
 
Iowa outshot Penn State 10-1 in the first half and had three corners to none for the Lions.  Barraco had four saves in the first half to keep Penn State close.
 
Penn State's offense, with Emma Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Meghan Reese (Coopersburg, Pa.) controlling the ball, kept the ball on the Iowa side of the field to start the third period. Penn State's early pressure led to the team's first penalty corner with 8:35 on the clock but Iowa defended the effort and the Lions still trailed by one. Sophomore Jemma Punch (McDowall, Australia) gave the Nittany Lions possession with a nice steal with 3:50 left in the period but once again, Iowa was able to thwart the Lion offense.  The Nittany Lions maintained possession late in the period and finished the third with the ball down on the Hawkeye side of the field, but Iowa maintained the 1-0 lead after third.
 
The Hawkeyes began the final period in control of the ball, keeping action on the Lion side off the field over the first five minutes. Freshman Kelsey Love (State College, Pa.) and the Lion defense were put to the test in the fourth as Iowa's offense pressed the Lion circle.  The Nittany Lions regained possession at the 8:40 mark and looked to work the ball down to the Iowa side.  The teams traded ball control over the next ten minutes and Iowa maintained its one-goal lead into the game's final minutes.  Iowa  picked up its first corner of the second half with 4:20 left to play, but Barraco kept the Penn State cage clean to keep the game close.  The Nittany Lions set a fast pace over the next two three minutes.  Sophia Gladieux (Boyertown, Pa.) worked the ball into the Iowa circle, hitting Bednarski with pass that almost led to a penalty corner.  But the officials huddled and waved the corner off and Iowa escaped with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
 
The Nittany Lions had four shots in the contest to 13 for Iowa.  The Hawkeyes also had a 4-1 edge in corners.  Barraco finished the game with seven saves while Iowa's Grace McGuire had one.
 
"We just weren't sharp in the first half and it cost us," said Morett-Curtiss.  "We were better in the second half but not enough to overcome some of our mistakes.  Defensively, we make a good stop but don't have the composure to move the ball downfield.  We will learn from these past two weekends and are really looking forward to coming home to play on our own field."
 
The Nittany Lions are now 1-2 overall, 1-1 B1G.  Iowa improves to 4-0, 3-0 B1G. Penn State is scheduled to host Maryland on Friday, March 12, in a 3:00 p.m. contest at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.  The Lions and Terrapins will then play each other again on Sunday, March 14, at 12:00 p.m.

GAME BREAKDOWN
 
SCORING:                  1          2          3          4          FINAL
PENN STATE              0          0          0          0          0
Iowa                            0          1          0          0          1
 
STATS:                                   PSU     IOWA
Shots                                       4          13
Corners                                   1          4
 
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) – TIME
2nd: IOWA – Anthe Nijziel (Leah Zellner), 4:10
 
GOALKEEPERS:                   MIN     GA       S
PSU:    Brie Barraco                60:00   1          7
IOWA: Grace McGuire             60:00   0         1

Go PSU Sports



Freshmen Piper Hampsch, Darcy Bourne lead Duke field hockey to shutout win in spring opener

By Jake C. Piazza


Hampsch's career-high seven saves anchored Duke to victory. Photo by Courtesy of Duke Athletics | The Chronicle

The early spring sunshine was out for all 60 minutes of Duke’s bout with Virginia, but it was Darcy Bourne and Piper Hampsch who shined the brightest.

The Blue Devils made the trip to Charlottesville, Va., Friday to take on the Cavaliers in each squad’s first matchup of the spring field hockey season. After a scoreless first half at Turf Field, Bourne’s two goals and Hampsch’s career-high seven saves lifted Duke to a 2-0 victory.

“If I were to go to who could help set the tone first I’m going to go with Piper, because the first quarter she made some really important saves and important decisions when Virginia came out real strong and put a lot of pressure on us,” head coach Pam Bustin said.

Hampsch was simply phenomenal for the entire afternoon, with the freshman continuing to eclipse her former ceiling with each passing matchup. She got off to a rocky start this season, but the Massachusetts native has now logged three shutouts in her past four games dating back to the fall, and appears to have fully adjusted to collegiate play.

“I think the way that Piper held down the first quarter was extremely important to us getting the momentum and then building on that,” Bustin said.

While Hampsch served as the backbone for Duke’s performance, fellow freshman Bourne stole the show five minutes into the second half.

Thanks to a pinpoint pass from sophomore Kelsey Reznick, Bourne found herself with room to work with as she streaked down the left side of the field. It initially looked like she had overrun the goal and wouldn’t have the angle to shoot, but then the England native decided the traditional rules of physics didn’t apply to her, flicking off a David Beckham-like bending shot into the back of the net to give Duke (3-7, 1-0 in the ACC) the 1-0 lead.

“The combination between Kelsey and Darcy was awesome,” Bustin said. “And then Darcy’s poise to get the ball where it needed to be to take the shot was awesome. That lit us up for sure.”

But just as any good secret agent would do, Bourne didn’t stop until the mission was completed. With nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, she added in an insurance goal to put the final nails into Virginia’s coffin and send Duke home with a celebratory bus ride.

Like Hampsch, Bourne went through some rough patches to start her college career. But after not scoring until the seventh game of her freshman campaign, Bourne has now strung together a four-game goal streak dating back to the fall season, and her performances have only gotten better.

Bourne’s two goals against Virginia (4-8, 0-1) marked the first multi-goal outing of her career, and Duke is going to need her recent play to continue if it wants to contend in the ACC and keep its NCAA tournament chances alive.

The Blue Devils have a two-week break until they play Wake Forest March 19.

Duke Chronicle



Hamilton Scores Twice to Lead Field Hockey Past PC, 3-0



PROVIDENCE – Sophomore standout Sophie Hamilton posted her second multi-goal effort this season to lead the Huskies in another dominant performance, as the University of Connecticut field hockey team defeated Providence, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in the Renaissance City.

With the win, UConn remains perfect and improves to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play.  The Huskies' first conference win of the 2020-21 season came last Sunday against PC in Storrs.  The Friars slip to 0-3, 0-3.

Claire Jandewerth got the soring started just 7:20 into the contest as the Huskies cashed in on a penalty corner opportunity.  The goal was Jandewerth's second of the season as the Mannheim, Germany native also scored in last week's victory against the Friars.  Jandewerth's goal came via assists from Claire van den Noort and Hamilton

Hamilton added some insurance moments later and the Huskies took a commanding 2-0 lead into intermission and tallied her second goal, and fifth point of the contest, after she took a feed deep in the circle from Jessica Dembrowski and flipped it past PC keeper Camryn Kelbaugh.

The Huskies out-shot the Friars 11-1, including 7-1 in shots on goal.  UConn has now out-shot the opposition 55-4 on the season and 32-3 in shots on goal.  Connecticut also created seven penalty corner opportunities on Sunday while allowing the Friars to generate just one attempt.

UConn goaltender Cheyenne Sprecher stopped the only shot she faced on the afternoon while Kelbaugh made four saves for the Friars.

The Huskies are back in action on Saturday, March 13 when the team travels to Philadelphia for a weekend series against Liberty.  The two teams agreed to meet at a neutral site, relatively equidistant from both schools in an effort to mitigate cost and travel risks posed by the pandemic.

UConn Huskies



Iowa field hockey off to best start since 2013

The Hawkeyes recorded two more 1-0 victories in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to continue their perfect start.

By Ben Palya


Iowa midfielder Lokke Stribos aims for the goal during a field hockey game against Michigan State at Grant Field on Sunday, September 29, 2019. Stribos scored one of 5 goals for the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes defeated the Spartans 5-0. Jenna Galligan

For Iowa field hockey, it was more of the same as the team secured two more wins in its second and last trip to Virginia Beach of the season.

The Hawkeyes secured two more 1-0 wins on the season over Rutgers and Penn State, meaning all four of the team’s games this season have ended in a 1-0 win for the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes 4-0 start is the program’s best since 2013.

Once again, it was Iowa’s defense that stood out on the weekend, holding Rutgers to no shots over the entire game and allowing just four shots against Penn State. Goalkeeper Grace McGuire only had one save to make again over the entire weekend.

Improvements were made on the offensive end as well. Iowa registered six shots against Rutgers, with three of them going on target. Against Penn State, Iowa exploded on offense as it forced seven saves from Penn State goalkeeper Brie Barraco on 13 shots total.

Against Rutgers Friday, things started off slow for the Hawkeyes as neither side could get a shot off in the first quarter. After Iowa managed to get off three shots in the second quarter, both teams went back to holding strong defenses as no shots were allowed in the third quarter.

As they have every game so far this season, the Hawkeyes found a way to win late in the game. After ramping up the pressure late on and forcing several saves, it was junior midfielder Lokke Stribos who scored the game winner for Iowa.

Off the penalty corner, Stribos got the ball from senior midfielder Ellie Holley and junior forward Leah Zellner and found the back of the net with just six minutes left to play to secure the win.

“We knew they would tackle us hard, so we had to have great strength on our receptions and have the ability to move the ball and pull them out of space,” Iowa field hockey head coach Lisa Cellucci said in a release. “We put them under pressure in each quarter, stayed patient and chipped away until we found the back of the net. I was proud of our problem solving and resilience today.”

The rematch against Penn State Sunday proved to be a much more open encounter, but Iowa showed improvements from the first meeting against the Nittany Lions to hang on for the win.

Iowa had a particularly strong first half, getting 10 shots off and scoring its first half goal of the season. It was defender Anthe Nijziel scoring off the corner from the top of the circle, with Zellner getting the assist.

Iowa survived a strong third quarter effort from Penn State and played solid defense the rest of the game to secure the team’s second win over Penn State this season.

“We knew they would tackle us hard,” Cellucci said. “So, we had to have great strength on our receptions and have the ability to move the ball and pull them out of space. We put them under pressure in each quarter, stayed patient and chipped away until we found the back of the net. I was proud of our problem solving and resilience today.”

Iowa leaves Virginia Beach atop the Big Ten ahead of its home opener against Michigan next week. The Hawkeyes will face off Friday and Sunday in a doubleheader against the Wolverines.

Daily Iowan



Syracuse field hockey opens spring season with 4-1 win over St. Joesph’s

By Adam McCaffery


Syracuse (pictured here in 2019 against Virginia, took on St. Joseph's in its first spring game of 2021. Anya Wijeweer | Contributing Photographer

With 2:32 left in the fourth quarter as Charlotte de Vries drove in a shot off an SJ Quigley corner. With Syracuse up 2-1 against St. Joseph’s University, Chiara Gutsche poked her stick out, deflecting the drive into the goal.

Syracuse (6-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) defeated St. Joseph’s (0-1), in its spring season opener, 4-1. The matchup was St. Joseph’s first game since November 2019 after COVID-19 precautions forced the Hawks to cancel its 2020 fall season. Syracuse finished the fall season with a 5-4 record and warmed up to the unusual spring season with a scrimmage against the Hawks.

St. Joseph’s Emily Peter’s struck first with a goal 14 minutes into the game. Quigley responded for Syracuse with a goal to send the game into halftime tied, 1-1.

Four minutes into the third quarter, de Vries, found herself in a toss-up in the Hawk’s circle but managed to take control of the ball and find the back of the net. de Vries’ goal put Syracuse up 2-1.

St. Joseph’s attempted to claw their way back in the fourth quarter, but Syracuse pulled away. Gutsche converted on two corners in a row after the team failed to execute on their previous four securing Syracuse’s 4-1 score.

In her first career start, freshman Emily Streib recorded three saves after former starting goalie Syd Taylor opted out of the 2021 spring season. The Orange defense also held St. Joseph’s leading scorer, Jordan Olenginski, to just one shot.

The Orange return to the field for another non-conference road game against Towson on March 14.

Daily Orange

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