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Western New England University

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Field Hockey 10.9.24
2
Western New Eng. WESTERN (7-5)
3
Winner Vermont State Castle VERMONT (9-4)
Western New Eng. WESTERN
(7-5)
2
Final
3
Vermont State Castle VERMONT
(9-4)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Western New Eng. WESTERN 1 0 1 0 0 2
Vermont State Castle VERMONT 1 1 0 0 1 3

Game Recap: Field Hockey |

Spartans Sink Golden Bears 3-2 in Overtime

Castleton, Vt. (October 9, 2024) – The Golden Bears traveled to Castleton, Vt. for a non-conference showdown with Vermont State University-Castleton. Sarah Johnston would give the Golden Bears the early lead, but a pair of goals from the Spartans would give them the 2-1 advantage at the half. Mackenna Cooke would even the game at two in the third quarter and send the game to overtime. However, the Spartans would get a goal in the 6th minute of overtime and beat the Golden Bears 3-2.

Records:

  • Western New England: 7-5 (2-0)
  • Vermont State University-Castleton: 9-4 (0-0)

How it Happened:

Ella Henry and Zoe Martin started the game in net for the Golden Bears and Spartans, respectively. The teams started the game by trading the ball. The Golden Bears would start to press in the 5th minute. They had a penalty corner, which the Spartans' defense would turn away. Then, action would pick up in the 11th minute as WNE earned a penalty corner and two shots on goal. Johnston's first shot was saved by Martin, but Johnston stayed with the play and scored to give the Golden Bears an early 1-0 lead. The Spartans would answer in the 13th minute. They had a penalty corner, which was sent from Emily Downing to Haley Lassen. Lassen set up Jess Smithson, who scored and tied the game at 1-1. Neither team was able to get another major opportunity after that, and the first quarter ended. The first-quarter stats saw WNE lead in shots 2-1, shots on goal 2-1, and penalty corners 2-1. The Spartans led in saves 1-0.

The second quarter started similarly to the first quarter. The teams traded the ball at the beginning of the quarter, and then the Golden Bears had the first major opportunity. Mackenna Cooke had a shot in the 21st minute saved by Zoe Martin. Then, the 23rd minute saw a WNE penalty corner result in a shot being blocked by the Spartans' defenders. The 26th minute saw the Spartans take over and have a penalty corner. Amelia Wilson took the penalty corner. Wilson found Jess Smithson, who scored a second goal of the game. The Spartans led 2-1 in the second quarter. The teams would play the ball from one side of the field to the other, with neither team generating a major opportunity, and the first half would end. The first-half stats saw WNE leading 4-2 in shots, 3-2 in shots on goal, and 3-2 in penalty corners. The Spartans led 2-0 in saves.

The second half began with Zoey Wexler at goalie for the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears would generate opportunities early, looking for that game-tying goal. They earned a penalty corner in the 34th minute. That led to another shot blocked by the Spartans' defense. The Spartans answered with two shots in the 36th minute of play. Mackenna Roberson and Gwyn Vincent had shots saved by Wexler. The 38th minute saw WNE respond with two penalty corners, but no shots. The 40th minute saw the Golden Bears earn another penalty corner. That led to a Haley Kaczka shot, which Martin was able to save. WNE kept the pressure up with a penalty corner in the 43rd minute, which led to a shot blocked by the Spartans' defense. Then, in the 44th minute, Sarah Johnston would send a shot at Martin in goal. Martin made the save, but Mackenna Cooke was there to send a shot crashing into the back of the goal. Cooke tied the game at 2-2. The Spartans finished the third quarter with pressure. They had a penalty corner in the final minute of the quarter lead to a shot blocked by the WNE defense, a shot saved by Wexler, and another shot blocked by the WNE defense. The quarter would end after that flurry of shots from the Spartans, and the game would be tied 2-2 going into the fourth quarter. The third quarter stats saw the Golden Bears leading in penalty corners 5-1 and saves 3-2. Both teams had five shots and three shots on goal.

The fourth quarter saw the Spartans ramp up the pressure. They had two shots and a penalty corner in the 51st minute of play. Wexler had to make one save and did. Then, between the 54th and 55th minutes, the Spartans would collect four penalty corners and four shots. Three of the shots were blocked by the WNE defense, and one was saved by Wexler. The Golden Bears answered with a shot and a penalty corner in the 57th minute. However, the shot would not test Martin. Then, the 59th minute saw a penalty corner lead to a WNE shot. However, the Spartans blocked the shot and countered. They had a 59th-minute penalty corner lead to a shot in the 60th minute. It was blocked by the WNE defense. They had one more penalty corner, but the Golden Bears defended it, and the game went to overtime, tied 2-2. The stats through four quarters saw the Spartans leading in shots 14-11 and shots on goal 7-6. The Golden Bears had more saves, 5-4, and both teams had ten penalty corners.

Overtime saw the Golden Bears start fast. They had a penalty corner in the 62nd minute lead to a shot by Sarah Johnston, saved by Martin. They had another penalty corner in the same minute. However, that penalty corner did not result in a shot. The 64th minute saw Johnston test Martin again. Martin made the save once again. Then, in the 66th minute, Jess Smithson would find Peyton Richardson with a pass. Richardson would find the back of the goal and give the Spartans the 3-2 overtime victory. The final stats saw the Spartans leading in shots 15-13 and saves 6-5. The Golden Bears led in penalty corners 12-10. Both teams had eight shots on goal.

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Kyle Lyons was asked for a comment on the overtime loss. "It was a good battle for the whole game. They are a gritty team, and I thought we fought hard against them. I told the team I thought this game would come down to the details and discipline. They capitalized on their chance in OT and got a nice touch in front of the cage. We need to also capitalize on our opportunities as well," Lyons answered.

Inside the Lines:

  • The Golden Bears were in Vermont to take on Vermont State University-Castleton on Wednesday night.
  • 10:55 – Sarah Johnston scored an unassisted goal to give the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead.
  • 12:40 – Jess Smithson equalized the game at one off an assist from Haley Lassen. The game was tied 1-1.
  • 25:23 – Jess Smithson gave the Spartans the lead with a goal assisted by Amelia Wilson. The Spartans led 2-1.
  • 43:20 – Mackenna Cooke evened the game at two goals per side off an assist from Sarah Johnston. The game was tied 2-2.
  • 65:45 – Peyton Richardson won the game for the Spartans in overtime. Jess Smithson was credited with the assist.
  • Ella Henry and Zoey Wexler combined for five saves and three goals let up.
  • Zoe Martin made six saves and let up two goals to earn the win.
  • The Spartans beat the Golden Bears 3-2.

Up Next on the Schedule:

  • The Golden Bears will host Roger Williams University on Saturday, October 12, 2024, in a CNE clash, at 1:00 PM.
  • The Spartans will travel to Western Connecticut State University on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 4:00 PM.
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