After securing its first two wins with an overtime shoot-out and a goal in the final six minutes, the field hockey team found a new way to win against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. Racing out to a 3-0 lead in the first 18 minutes, the Bears (3-7) hung on to beat the Pioneers (3-9), 3-2, in Fairfield, Conn.
"We definitely came out with a lot of intensity. ... We really dominated in the beginning," Abigail Taft '12 said. "We kind of let down after our first three goals, and we played a lot of defense towards the end of the game because of that."
The big lead was a new position for the Bears, who had never led by more than one goal this season. Natalie Harrington '09 said she believes the Bears' fast start could come back to help the team down the road.
"We haven't really had anything like that happen yet this season, so it was just amazing to see that our offense could do something like that," she said. "And that way in games when we're down in the future, we'll be able just to remember that time and know that we can score three goals in a short amount of time."
The Bears began their charge just 9:18 into the game, when Taft tipped in a shot that Sara Eaton '09 took from the top of the circle.
"It was kind of a bouncing ball and I was able to just get my stick on it and deflect it into the goal," Taft said.
Taft struck again for her team-leading seventh goal of the season just 2:49 later, when she redirected Harrington's pass to the post past Pioneers goalkeeper Kim Stow, who was making her first career start. Taft said that her goals were a product of crisp passing that created a flow between the defenders, the midfielders and the forwards.
Laura Iacovetti '12 extended Brown's lead just 5:22 later with her first career goal. She converted on a penalty stroke that was awarded when an opposing defender stopped a shot with her foot. Just 17:29 into the game, Bruno had a three-goal lead, which the Bears were determined not to give up, according to Iacovetti.
"We came out really strong, and then I think we were definitely confident in ourselves, and that's how we were able to hold it," she said.
Still, the Bears were facing a barrage of shots, as the Pioneers held a 15-8 shot advantage in the first period. The Bears' defense finally broke down with 4:30 left in the first half, when Carisa Eye's shot from the top of the circle beat Brown goalkeeper Lauren Kessler '11, continuing the team's history of surrendering goals late in the first half.
"That's something that's a common theme, I guess, this season," Taft said. "It's frustrating, but I guess we backed off a little ... and they were able to just put one in past Kessler."
Despite the Pioneers' goal, Iacovetti said the Bears were undaunted heading into halftime up 3-1, thanks to Kessler's steady play and the defense's ability to clear the ball. Kessler made three saves in the first half, while Victoria Sacco '09 and Michaela Seigo '10 each contributed a defensive save.
Sacred Heart turned up its intensity in the second half, taking 11 penalty corners to Brown's two. But the Bears' defense locked down to allow only 10 shots, giving up just one goal when Eye scored for the second time off of a corner with 4:36 left.
"I think we played incredibly (well) in the second half," Taft said. "They're a really scrappy team. ... We had a few questionable calls, I guess, against us, but our defense pulled it out."
Iacovetti agreed that issues with the refereeing were tough, but she said the Bears weren't worried.
"Our defensive penalty unit is really good, so we were pretty confident in them," she said.
Brown took seven shots in the second half, but could not find the back of the cage, as new Sacred Heart goalie Whitney Mills made six saves. Kessler stopped five more shots in the second half to give her a total of eight saves for the game. Katie Hyland '11 led the offense with four shots, while Tacy Zysk '11 chipped in three. Sacred Heart finished the game with a 25-15 advantage in shots, but Taft said Bruno came away with the win for several reasons.
"I think we just utilized our attacking opportunities, and our defense ... played really well. They had some insane defensive saves," she said. "We just kept up our intensity and didn't let down on our defensive end."
The Bears will hit the road again this Sunday, when they travel to Vermont to face the Catamounts (5-6). Taft said the Bears know what they have to do to start their first winning streak of the season.
"We just have to keep practicing hard, keep up our confidence and keep up our attacking intensity throughout the entire game like we have in the beginning," she said.
