By Carley Crain
@carley_crain12
It was a perfect day to play field hockey at Stagg Field on Saturday afternoon. The sun was shining, no clouds were in sight, and a competitive NEWMAC match was on deck. It was a rough day for the Pride though, as MIT took the win, 6-0, but Springfield isn’t going to let this one loss define the rest of their season.
MIT started out strong during the first quarter, due to Paige Forester, who scored twice for the Engineers, less than 2 minutes apart from another. MIT controlled most of the possession, as Springfield was forced to respond and adapt to MIT’s aggressive offensive front.
Once again, the second quarter immediately kicked off with another goal from Forester, making it her third on the day. The rest of the quarter remained scoreless for the most part, as MIT continued their dominance on the offensive side, and Springfield spent little time on the other end of the field. With less than 3 minutes left in the half, MIT capitalized off a penalty corner and scored, but this time by Liberty Ladd. Springfield struggled offensively throughout the first half, as they had no shots on goal and only one penalty corner.
“Doing the little things makes all the difference. We have had this list since the start of the season that we have been preaching since our first scrimmage,” said Springfield head coach Melissa Sharpe. “It’s a list of five things that we need to improve on. We have nailed them in practice but not during games. It’s fixable but all a matter of transition.”
The second half opened with multiple scoring opportunities for MIT due to multiple corners, but Springfield’s defense was able to rally and work well as a defensive unit. With around 6 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Engineers scored their fifth goal of the game from Liberty Ladd, which was her second of the day, and was assisted by Erica Randler. The rest of the quarter remained scoreless for both teams.
The fourth quarter started out with Springfield once again on the defensive, with two key saves by first-year Claire Munkacsi. Forester added another goal for MIT at around the 9-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
“The last couple of games and the majority of the second half was played by our non-starting group,” explained Sharpe. “I think the effort from them was fantastic. Claire Munkacsi stepped up huge and had two defensive saves. The effort was what we have been trying to preach all season.”
Despite a tough loss for the Pride, Springfield will look to rebound this Wednesday when they host Endicott at 7 P.M.
Featured Photo: Joe Arruda/The Springfield Student