By River Mitchell
Staff Writer
Cold temperatures were on hand Sunday afternoon on Stagg Field, as the Pride field hockey team took Nichols College during Homecoming Weekend. The home crowd was very pleased with the outcome, as Springfield won by a final of 3-0.
The game started off with a scoreless first quarter, despite Springfield having multiple opportunities to capitalize in the period. Emma Robinson, Lily Depew, Audrey Dolan, Audrey Bresciano, Grace Levansavich, and multiple other players all took shots against Nichols goalie Sophia Venable.
Offensively, the Pride did a good job of putting pressure on Venable throughout the entire game. And in return, Springfield started to find more success – starting in the second quarter.
The Pride took their first shot with 3:38 left in the second frame, and found the back of the goal. Audrey Bresciano was the goal scorer, as she was finally able to get the Pride on the board and give them a 1-0 lead.
Springfield didn’t stop there. A goal from Audrey Hayes gave the Pride some extra breathing room and made it 2-0. Both goals in the first half were assisted by Kalista Fontanella.
After a scoreless third period, the fourth kept the theme of Springfield pressuring Venable and the Bison defense.
Hayes struck for a second time with 14:21 left, assisted by Fontanella – giving her three assists in the game. This put the Pride ahead comfortably, 3-0.
Springfield’s defense remained throughout all four quarters, as the Bison only took four total shots. Pride goalie Remy Niland was credited for three saves in the victory. This was arguably the Pride’s most complete game of the year, as they took a lot of shots, kept the ball on the opponent’s side of the field, and collected their first shutout of the season.
“I thought we played really well,” Springfield head coach Mia Olsen said. “I thought we moved the ball really nicely, we had a lot of opportunities. We capitalized on a few, but definitely could’ve probably capitalized on a few more.”
The win was especially rewarding considering some recent struggles for the Pride.
“I feel like we needed it at this time in the season,” Olsen said.
The players were also very satisfied with the win, as they all put together a great team effort. Senior Lily Depew was no exception.
“With some of the losses we’ve had in the past, this definitely was an offensive confidence booster in a sense, just so we can get back on the board, get some goals, and know that it’s attainable for us to score,” Depew said. “This definitely helped us offensively and I think we did a decent job trying to stay level-headed on defense.”
The Pride have their next game at home against Wheaton on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield Athletics