The field hockey team (0-2) traveled to the University of Iowa early this week for a pair of hard-fought games. The Bears were edged 1-0 by Miami (Ohio) (5-0) and fell to No. 19 Iowa 5-0.
Miami (Ohio) 1, Brown 0
In the first game, the Bears scrapped and clawed their way through a tough defensive battle, but they were nicked by a single goal in their effort against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. Captain Tacy Zysk '11 was quick to cite goalie Lauren Kessler '12 as an integral part of the Bears' ability to keep the game close.
"She saved everything a (Division I) goalie ought to, and then some," Zysk wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "She was the MVP of that game."
Kessler's seven-save performance highlighted a strong defensive effort for the Bears, who continue to sharpen their skills for Ivy League competition.
"It was a battle, and both teams were racing hard to every ball and laying everything out," Zysk said.
University of Iowa 5, Brown 0
In the second game, the Bears faced a tough challenge against the nationally ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. The matchup was made even more difficult by multiple Bear injuries. Starting midfielder Kelley Harrison '13 suffered an ankle sprain in warmups and players such as last year's leading scorer, Leslie Springmeyer '12, played limited minutes due to injury.
But the team refused to use the injuries as justification for the poor result.
"No team is built around any single player, and we won't acquiesce to the excuse ‘we had injured starters' because our team is the deepest it's been in years," Zysk wrote. "We are going to watch video, figure out what broke down, and fix it."
The Bears will face Monmouth on Saturday in the last game of their opening road trip. Bruno then takes on Columbia in its home opener on Sept. 18.
