By Carley Crain
@Carley_crain12
Cross city rivals Western New England and Springfield dueled on a cool and chilly Thursday night at Stagg Field. While the game started out fairly evenly matched, the Pride struggled as the game went on, as Western New England won, 6-0.
“It is always one of those games on the schedule you are looking forward to, it’s not a conference game but one our kids always get up for,” explained head coach Melissa Sharpe, when asked about the mindset the team has behind city rival games.
Each team came out strong both offensively and defensively during the first quarter, as the Pride and the Golden Bears had opportunities on both ends of the ball. Springfield’s offense communicated well and had some speedy breakaways, which is an improvement from previous games, as cementing a solid offensive front has proven to be a struggle for most of the season. The first fifteen minutes would remain scoreless going into the next quarter.
The Golden Bears had multiple scoring opportunities within the first few minutes of the second quarter from penalty corners, but Springfield played well as a unit defensively and denied them from scoring. Springfield would see less time on the other end of the field during this quarter, as Western New England scored first at about the 5-minute mark off a cross from #22 Ali Larochelle and assisted by Taylor Klesyk. The Golden Bears would score again shortly after, this time by Sarah Johnston, which was set up by a speedy run up the middle by Klesyk.
After halftime, the Golden Bears added another goal quickly, making it Larochelle’s second of the night. Springfield struggled to get the ball on the other end of the field, as Western New England dominated the third quarter. The Pride got two penalty corners in a row in the middle of the third quarter, but the Golden Bears were quick to defend, resulting in no goals for Springfield.
The Golden Bears capitalized on a corner with about 6 minutes left, after a string of short, but strong passes from Western New England’s offense. Klesyk would make it 4-0 for the Bears.
Western New England continued their dominance with corners throughout the quarter as they scored their fifth goal of the night with less than a minute to go in the third.
The fourth quarter was once again dominated by the Golden Bears as they scored again with about 8 minutes to go, making it Johnston’s second goal of the night. The rest of the quarter remained scoreless for both teams, making the final score 6-0.
The Pride will play their last game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 5 P.M. vs Wellesley, as they hope to end their fall season on a high note with senior night.
“We have four great seniors and they have all had great careers and they did not have much as juniors but we are thrilled they get to go out the proper way,” said Sharpe.
Photo: Danielle Schmelling/The Student