Richmond fell to James Madison 5-1 Friday night after winning their first two games of the season against St. Louis and Kent State.
Kasey Gilbride, a midfielder and one of three senior captains, scored the first goal within the first fifteen minutes. This would be the only time the Spiders had the lead during the game.
Two minutes later, a penalty stroke was called against the Richmond defense, causing JMU to score and tie the game 1-1. The Spiders fought hard, but JMU scored another goal late in the half to make it 2-1 going into halftime.
After the half, Richmond tried to come back before JMU scored their third goal. Their fourth goal followed close behind, just three minutes later. The Spiders called a timeout following the back-to-back goals. JMU scored their fifth and final goal later in the half.
JMU won 5-1 and outshot the Spiders 21-5.
Head coach Gina Lucido said that the penalty stroke early in the game was the turning point because once a stroke is called, it is almost an automatic goal.
It had been a pretty evenly matched game before that, Lucido said. A call such as a penalty stroke really changes the game and she said told the team to try to not let it faze them, Lucido said.
Lucido said that senior captain and midfielder, Megan Miller, carried her weight thanks to her consistent play. Jessica Bishop, another senior captain and midfielder, also contributed by helping defensively, Lucido said. The team also remained competitive and united during the game despite the goals scored against, Lucido said.
This has been a different year, Lucido said, because there is a lot of talent, youth, and players in different positions. Lucido emphasized that adversity is not necessarily bad because she knows the character of her players and that they are persevering.
Since Lucido has been head coach of the Spiders, she has qualified for the A-10 Tournament each year and plans to do the same this year. Despite the team being under .500 this year, Lucido has confidence in her team.
“There’s no excuse in that, it’s just a reality,” Lucido said, “and that’s something we are working through with each game to continue to be the type of program that we’ve always been which is a team that is in the postseason and that is completely in front of us.”
Lucido said that she wants her team to be in the top two in the conference and expects them to make it to the conference tournament.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
“We’ve never missed the conference tournament, that’s non-negotiable,” Lucido said, “We will absolutely work to make sure that we are in the conference tournament.”
Lucido anticipates that Sunday’s game will be highly competitive since St. Joseph’s is hungry to bring home a conference trophy.
The Spiders’ Field Hockey team has a game against St. Joseph’s this Sunday at 12 pm. St. Joseph’s is 3-0 in the conference and 9-2 overall. Richmond is 1-1 in the conference and this will be the third conference game of the season.
Contact sports writer Lindsay Emery at lindsay.emery@richmond.edu.
Support independent student media
You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button below, which takes you to our secure PayPal account. The page is set up to receive contributions in whatever amount you designate. We look forward to using the money we raise to further our mission of providing honest and accurate information to students, faculty, staff, alumni and others in the general public.
Donate NowRead More
