Spiders lose to league-leaders Saint Joseph’s

The University of Richmond field hockey team lost 4-0 against Saint Joseph’s University on Crenshaw field Oct. 13. 

The Spiders looked ahead to face their most formidable opponent yet. The Hawks were ranked #14 in the country and had a perfect 4-0 record in the Atlantic 10. Although the Spiders had just beaten Towson University 2-0 in their last game, a victory against Saint Joseph’s would be difficult. 

UR started the game well, pressuring the Hawks and gaining possession quickly. The Spiders controlled the ball in the opening minutes but could not put any concrete chances together. Saint Joseph’s got back into the game and won three corners once they entered UR’s half of the field. 

The Hawks pressured the Spiders more in the second period, winning corner after corner. Saint Joseph’s fifth corner found success as the team scored to make the game 1-0. UR tried to respond but a well-timed save from the Hawks’ goalkeeper kept the Spiders at bay. Things went from bad to worse as the Hawks scored again from another corner to put the Spiders down by two goals. 

UR pushed forward and fired a flurry of shots towards Saint Joseph’s goal, forcing the goalkeeper to make four shots within minutes. The halftime whistle blew just as the Spiders started to find momentum with the score remaining 2-0. 

The Hawks started the third period just as they had in the second, winning corner after corner. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Rake was forced into action and made a goal-saving stop to keep UR in the game. The constant pressure was too much for the Spiders as the Hawks scored again from their 10th corner of the match. The third period ended 3-0. 

UR needed a strong start to the fourth period if they wanted a chance to tie the game. With 11 minutes left in the game, the Spiders thought they had pulled a goal back. However, the referee disallowed the goal as the player was not inside the circle. It wasn’t long until Saint Joseph’s scored another goal through another corner. The Spiders tried to push forward but time had run out. The game ended 4-0. 

UR Head Coach Jamie Montgomery believed that the goal should have been given to the Spiders and that the game could have changed with 11 minutes left. 

“She was in the circle,” Montgomery said. “They [the referees] said that the ball did not come out of the circle initially.” 

Montgomery added that the Spiders needed to work on their defensive penalty corner unit as the Spiders gave up 13 corners throughout the game. Although the game was a tough loss, Montgomery believed that the score did not reflect the performance of the team. 

“The team did a phenomenal job tonight,” Montgomery said. “It was a great game, and I don’t know if the score accurately reflects that.” 

Contact sports writer Ryan Stacy at ryan.stacy@richmond.edu.