Underneath the lights on Thursday, Oct. 4, the field hockey team took the field to play against The College Of New Jersey. A crowd of 97 people filled the stands at Edith Robb Dixon Field to cheer on their respected teams.
The Lions, ranked third in the nation, provided a challenge for the upstart Lady Cavs. In the end, the Lady Cavs fell to the Lions in a 5-1 defeat.
The action picked up fast as Cabrini had possession firing a quick shot on TCNJ’s Roisin Dougherty to mount an early scoring chance.
The turning point of the first half was when TCNJ’s Camille Passucci snuck a ball behind Cabrini goalkeeper Genevieve Paulin in the 14th minute.
The Lady Cavs continued to put on full pressure by out working TCNJ’s defense, but still could not capitalize on their chances. Erin McLaughlin weaved her way in and out of the defense as she tried to set up scoring plays, but her passes were cut short by TCNJ.
Just as the first half was coming to an end, TCNJ was rewarded with a corner and would capitalize with Caitlyn Jenkins getting the goal, leaving the first half score 2-0.
“We are still very much in the game,” 17th-year head coach Jackie Neary said of her halftime message. “Keep playing hard and we have this game.”
The second half started with the Lady Cavs hungry for a goal. Lindsey Atzert took the first shot of the half but it was saved by Dougherty. Rita McKeown tried answering with a shot but it was redirected wide of the net.
TCNJ would go up 3-0 after a foul call on Cabrini. Lauren Pigott scored her first goal of the season.
Less than two minutes later, McLaughlin got Cabrini on the board with her second goal of the season.
The goal gave Cabrini some life with just under 25 minutes to go in the game. But a few scoring chances didn’t go in favor of the Lady Cavs.
TCNJ would tack on two more goals, including one by leading scorer Jillian Nealon. Nealon’s goal was her 16th of the season.
That would be plenty for the Lions, who managed to stave off hard charges by the Lady Cavs in a 5-1 win. Despite the loss, the Lady Cavs came away with positives from the game.
“The team played well even though the scoreboard may not show it,” junior Stephanie Toomey said. “We definitely played up to their level today. We were happy with how we all played regardless of the end score.”
The Lady Cavs now have a 5-6 record and will travel to Allentown, PA to take on face off Cedar Crest College in their next game on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 at 4 p.m. Their next home game is on Saturday, Oct. 13, when the Lady Cavs host Gwynedd-Mercy College at 12 p.m.
