After going on a three-game losing streak for the first time since the end of last season, the field hockey team took on Big East foe Providence College Tuesday, one of the most difficult matchups of the Bears’ (6-6, 2-2 Ivy) season.
A goal from Jaclyn Torres ’17, an arts and culture editor at The Herald, was not enough to keep a fast Providence team at bay, as the Friars (12-3, 4-1) topped Bruno in overtime by a score of 2-1.
Brown started out with all the control in the first half, hardly allowing the ball to cross the half field line. But Providence was able to secure a few corners against the run of play and swung the tide after the first 10 minutes. The Friars applied pressure after that point in the first half, but Hannah Leckey ’20 and co-captain Katarina Angus ’17.5 kept the game scoreless to the end of the half.
The senior and first-year switched positions constantly throughout the game, with Angus moving up to support the Brown offense and Leckey dropping back to manage the defense. Co-captain Leah Zavalick ’17 did not start the game but played a majority of the time at right back while Maddie Ayles ’19 occupied her usual left back position, both quieting the pacy Providence forwards.
Head Coach Jill Reeve employs the switching strategy to give one of the two a rest while the other pushes up the field to fight for the ball, Angus said.
The Friars got on the board first after nearly 15 minutes of play in the second half. Three minutes later, Torres got her fifth goal of the year with a shot that beat a sprawling Providence netminder to tie the game at one. Brown registered two corners in the second half, the first of which put an end to 147 minutes of open play without a corner.
“Our defense has been very solid this season,” Angus said. “But in the coming games, especially against Cornell, we want to make sure we capitalize on our offensive opportunities and make sure we always get something out of our attack, whether it’s a goal, a shot or a short corner.”
Brown’s last chance in regulation to steal a win came from its only corners: two consecutive plays with under two minutes left to play in the game. The first resulted in an immediate call for another corner before Angus was stifled on the end line and Providence was finally able to clear its defensive zone.
Brown was unable to get anything going offensively in the overtime period, and Providence recorded four shots and one penalty corner before Sylvia Miller deflected a high and fast shot from Abby Thornton past the helpless Katie Hammaker ’19. The loss was the Bears’ second consecutive defeat against the Friars — though it marked an improvement over last year’s 6-1 blowout.
As opposed to last year against Providence, “we stepped up our communication and focused on playing as a unit with quick passing for the entire game,” Angus said. “I thought this year we brought a lot more energy to the field, which made a huge difference in our play.”
Brown takes on Cornell Friday at home in an effort to halt its four-game losing streak before heading to Holy Cross Sunday to face the Crusaders.
