The weather was cold and wet for the women’s field hockey team on Friday, but that didn’t stop Northeastern from stifling Quinnipiac on both ends of the field. The Huskies didn’t allow a shot on goal in the first half, and held on for a 3-1 win over the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac lost more than just the game, however, as last year’s Most Improved Player, Katherine Van Nostrand, was carried off the field with an injury before the end of the first half.
“I’m not going to downplay this, it’s huge,” head coach Becca Kohli said. “She’s an emotional leader that runs the backfield.”
Van Nostrand, a senior defender, is expected to miss the next few games.
“It’s going to be a couple-of-weeks process to get her back,” Kohli said.
Bobcats goalie Jenna Grossman made 10 saves against the Huskies, a performance which followed a game where she allowed five goals against Boston College last Friday. Kohli was pleased with the way her goalie played, despite of the loss.
“She was out to prove something today after giving up five goals last game,” Kohli said. “She went out and put trust back into our minds.”
The Bobcats needed a big-time performance from Grossman, as the Huskies out-shot the Bobcats 27-5 and held 11 penalty corners to the Bobcats’ four. The Huskies did not allow a shot in the first half and took a 1-0 lead into the break after an unassisted goal from Pam Aldridge at 25:36.
The Huskies got off to a fast start in the second half with another unassisted goal, this one from Kaela Barker at 46:29. After falling behind 2-0, the Bobcats responded in less than two minutes with a goal by Bonnie Shea. Tina Watkins and Lauren Hartnett assisted for the first Bobcats goal of the season.
The Bobcats allowed the third and final goal at 69:41 by Crystal Poland, assisted by Meg Sweeney. Despite their inability to score a second goal, the change in offensive momentum after halftime was evident.
“They were pressing us and we could not get it out of the left corner,” she said. “We had to design some different ways for us to break through that first line in the second half.”
The Bobcats fell to 0-2 on the season and are trying to find answers.
“We’re a second half team,” Kohli said. “We need to keep taking steps forward and see a level of progression. We outwork every team, but we need to be smarter and stop situations from happening before they are created.”
