Field Hockey tramples Cavaliers for second win

OCT. 4, BLAZER FIELD–

The Blair field hockey won its second game in a row in a 5-0 blowout match against the Kennedy Cavaliers. The Blazers, who are now 2-5 on the season, dominated the game from start to finish, just as in their previous match against the Northwood Gladiators.

The team was sharp at every position, as they used the triangle passing and group transitions that they have been practicing for the past two weeks to keep the momentum on their side. Although Kennedy's record was better coming into the game, the lopsided result clearly showed the difficulty of the Blazers' schedule early this season.

In the first half, the Cavaliers were quickly put on the defensive by an aggressive and efficient Blair squad. The Blazers had numerous early scoring opportunities, but many were broken up my penalties. They broke through soon enough however, when sophomore Elsa Haag sent a cross pass in front of the goal to sophomore Julia Stratton, who sent it right back into the cage to put Blair on the board 1-0.

The Cavaliers had some success in penetrating into the Blair side, but were stopped cold each time before getting within shooting distance by senior defenders Andrea Wilkinson and Claire Harper. The Blazers kept up the pressure and scored again midway through the half on a shot from junior Cate McCraw, and once more on a point-blank shot from junior Iliya Smithka. Firmly in the lead, the Blazers still refused to let up, and were able to score once more late in the half on a long-distance blast from senior Jessie Hallberlin to extend the lead to 4-0.

After the break, the Cavaliers came back on the field with renewed vigor, and made Blair work for every shot on goal. They firmed up their defense and kept the Blazers from scoring again until late in the game, but couldn't manage to get past the stalwart Blair defenders and were left with a final score of 5-0.

After a difficult first half of the season, the Blazers are just now coming into their own as a unit. "We looked to the open players and spread out more," said Stratton, who also emphasized the team's use of 3-player triangle formations in moving the ball up field effectively.

According to coach Brook Franceschini, this is in line with her vision for how the team can win games. "The strategy for this game was to focus on offense and communicating with each other," she said. In preparation for the rest of the season, she plans to work with the team on shooting into the open spaces, in hopes of converting more of their shots into goals.

The team's next game is at Springbrook on Tuesday, October 10 at 3:30 p.m.