Typically performing the "dirty work" while their forward counterparts get the glory, defenders are rarely noteworthy as far as the box score is concerned.
As the sun beats down on the turf field on a late September afternoon, the University of Richmond field hockey team hustles to follow head coach Gina Lucido's instructions.
Princeton University's mascot may be a tiger, but it was a shark attack that led Princeton to a 7-1 victory over the University of Richmond's field hockey team Friday afternoon at Crenshaw Field. Junior Kathleen Sharkey, who was called 'Shark Attack' by her teammates, scored six goals for the Tigers, including three-straight to open the game.
Down to seven versus seven from the normal 11 each, overtime was needed Wednesday to decide the outcome of these in-state rivals in field hockey for the second year in a row.
After two weeks of preseason, the Richmond field hockey team, defending Atlantic 10 champion, is positioned to transfer their practice into gameday tenacity. "We've worked really hard this preseason, so we're looking to show other teams how hard we've worked," senior captain Michelle Weaver said. During the last practice before the season opener against American University, head coach Gina Lucido stood in the middle of Crenshaw Field shouting players' names to get them excited for the game. "Coach has been firing us up with nicknames to light the fire we've got from preseason," junior center back Emily Straniero said. Despite a 5-1 loss to No.
Q: What's your fifth year like? A: It's a totally different dynamic mixing with older people in my grad classes, people who have kids, from like age 24, 25 ... to like 40. Q: Last year the team finished the season ranked 19th in the country.
The No. 19 University of Richmond field hockey team lost to the No. 2 University of Virginia for the second time this year as the Spiders were eliminated by a 3-0 score from the first round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon. The Spiders had trouble generating offense and only took three shots.
The field hockey team won 2-1 at Ohio University in today's play-in game for the 2009 NCAA Championship tournament. The Bobcats got an early lead, scoring during the first minute of the game, but would not score again as senior goalkeeper Jacki Raithel had five saves.
The University of Richmond field hockey team defeated Temple University today to win its sixth Atlantic 10 tournament title in the last eight years. The Spiders defeated third-seeded Temple 3-0 at the tournament, held in Amherst, Mass., and will now play Mid-American champion Ohio University at 1 p.m.
Gina Lucido has been waiting for one major accomplishment during her 19-year career as a field hockey coach: a conference championship. Lucido won three conference titles as a player at Ball State University, but hasn't won one as a coach.
The University of Richmond field hockey team remained undefeated in conference play by defeating West Chester University 2-0 Sunday afternoon during its final home game of the season. Behind goals from redshirt junior Dani Pycroft and sophomore Katelin Peterson, the Spiders improved to 3-0 in Atlantic-10 conference play and shut out an opponent for the sixth time this season.
The University of Richmond field hockey team defeated La Salle University 4-0 behind a pair of goals by senior Sarah Blythe-Wood. Blythe-Wood's two goals raised her season total to 16, which is tops in the Atlantic-10 Conference. Sophomore Katelin Peterson and junior Dani Pycroft added the other two goals for the Spiders.
James Madison University was able to convert three out of its four penalty corners to defeat the University of Richmond field hockey team 3-0. JMU junior Dolores de Rooij scored all three of her team's goals off of the penalty corner.
In its Atlantic-10 Conference opener win against Saint Louis University, the University of Richmond field hockey team tied or set three school records. The Spiders tied a school record for goals during a game with 12 as they shut out the Billikens. "The thing I was most excited about is that - outside of the penalty stroke which can't be an assisted goal - that eight of the other 12 goals that were scored were assisted." Richmond coach Gina Lucido said.
The University of Richmond field hockey team defeated Georgetown University 2-0 Sunday afternoon with goals from sophomore Katelin Peterson and senior Sarah Blythe-Wood. Coming off a 4-3 loss Wednesday to the undefeated, third-ranked University of Virginia Cavaliers, the Spiders tried to get back on track against the 1-9 Georgetown Hoyas. Richmond controlled the field from the beginning, as senior Megan Thompson initiated the offensive shooting with a shot that went just wide of the net. When Richmond failed to capitalize on initial scoring efforts, assistant coach Jodi Murphy watched her players attempt to weave through the opposition and said they had been trying to do too much. At the 18-minute mark, Blythe-Wood beat a defender at midfield and played a long ball up to Thompson.
The University of Richmond women's field hockey team has started out the season with a 4-5 record, and hopes to use what it learned from its early losses to play better as it gets closer to the Atlantic 10 Championship. The team played back-to-back home games this weekend, starting with a 7-0 win on Saturday against Monmouth University.
Two goals within the first three minutes of play by sophomore Katelin Peterson led to the University of Richmond field hockey's 7-0 win over Monmouth University. Peterson scored the first of her three goals one minute into the game when she beat a Monmouth defender to score into a wide-open goal. "We wanted to come out with a bang and make sure that we were on top right from the start," Peterson said. About one minute later, junior Hannah Hess set up Peterson for a shot that was saved by Monmouth goalie Melissa Katz.
The field hockey team usually spends time writing down goals during the preseason, but this year it didn't have to. "It's just been said, 'We've got to bring back the Atlantic 10 crown,'" coach Gina Lucido said.
About 40 incoming freshmen athletes took their library skills and alcohol education classes before the semester in an effort by class coordinators to make the first-year requirements more convenient for students and staff. Freshmen usually take Library Skills 100 and an alcohol class, URAware (Wellness 085), during the academic year.
