Field Hockey Shuts Out Earlham for First Season Win

Even with a home turf advantage, Earlham College was unable to hold down Ladies field hockey on Saturday, and the Ladies won their first North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) game with a score of 5-0. It’s the Ladies’ first win this season, and their first win under new Head Coach Jacque DeMarco.

Although the Ladies were in control for most of the game, DeMarco said: “[Earlham] gave us a little bit of a fight at the beginning of the game. It was a good challenge for us mentally to stay on our game and continue on what we had planned to do.”

Nonetheless, the Ladies quickly regrouped after a goal from Julie Freedman ’15, and they only got better in the second half.

 

“I think we really came together as a team,” forward Christine Bloom ’16 said. “We improved on our passing, and we were much better at staying in the circle and getting corners.” Bloom scored two goals in the second half, both assisted by Rachel Hall ’15, who scored a goal of her own in the first half. Cecilia Depman ’15 sealed the win with the team’s fifth and final goal only a minute after Bloom’s second goal.

DeMarco agreed that the second half of the game was stronger. “You could see how they molded in the second half,” she said. “They started to read things together, and play off of what was happening off the field.”

The team’s offensive power was very much on display, but the defense was also extremely strong. Earlham only got off one shot on goal, which Sydney Carney-Knisely ’14 saved. “If [Earlham] did come down to our side of the field, our defense was really good at getting the ball and getting it straight back,” Bloom said.

The team has a lot of adjustments to make this year, with a new head coach and seven first-year players, but this is not the first time they have had to deal with change and adversity. Senior players Rebecca Spradlin and Leah Jacques have had three different coaches during their time at Kenyon, and junior and sophomore team members are more accustomed to playing under former head coach Chrissy Needham.

DeMarco said, “there’s going to be a transition period. I think they’ve really taken the challenge well … it’s just going to take some patience and time. They want to do well.” Practices have been successful for them, too. “Everyone feels better at the end than at the beginning, ” she said.

Today, the Ladies will go to Wittenberg University for an NCAC game, and they’ll have another NCAC game on Sunday, this time at home, against Ohio Wesleyan University. Both teams will be tough competition for the Ladies, according to DeMarco. “This whole week is going to be a good challenge for us.”