CLAREMONT – Playing in their third game in three days, the Cardinals fought through a grueling weather delayed re-schedule, injuries and a Mascenic team desperate to get wins as Stevens fell 1-0 on Saturday morning. The Cardinals schedule doesn’t get any easier with games Monday and Tuesday as they try to secure a home field game for the fast approaching playoffs.
Stevens’ Brianna Frisbee looked to light up the scoreboard quickly as she had two strong rushes on net but as the ball approached the net area, she had to deal with a very big Mascenic defensive line.
With games aplenty at Monadnock, multiple games and soggy conditions have left the field filled with an un-smooth surface which isn’t ideal for field hockey. Stevens coach Patty Deschaine’s squad tried using the outside of the field and her wing players and midfielders were sharp and quick as Fallon Lavertue, Julia Tursky and Zoey Foote were right behind the Cardinals front line and controlled play for long stretches of time in the first half.
The Cardinals’ Hailey LaClair was extremely strong in the back and the Cardinal goalkeeper, Ryann Rider was solid in net. “I thought we played a solid game and we’ve had lots of games the past three days but this was a tough one to lose,” said LaClair after the game, and continued, “but as a team we played well and it’s onto Newport on Monday.”
Mascenic opened up the second half with goals on their mind but Riley Craig and Clara Avery had other plans and matched the visitor’s intensity. The half ended up being fairly quiet as both teams had strong midfield play but neither defense allowed any good scoring opportunities, as Abi Faro and Lexi Eitapence joined LaClair in shutting down any Viking threat and eventually pushed the game into overtime.
Playing in the 7-on-7 overtime period, the Cardinals were the quicker team for the extra period. Their best chance came off the stick of Frisbee but was swallowed up by two defenders and rolled away. The bouncing ball ended up heading toward the Stevens net with 3 Vikings leading the charge. With the Cardinals defenders closing fast, Mascenic’s Bella Kailey somehow got a solid shot away that hopped over the Cardinals’ defenders sticks and slipped past Rider for the game winning goal late in OT for the 1-0 Mascenic win.
“We played better today than last night and it was our 4th overtime game of the season,” said coach Deschaine. “…but I think we’re starting to finally hit our stride with playoffs approaching.”
Stevens falls to (5-5-1) on the season while Mascenic improves to (4-6). The Cardinals head to Newport on Monday to tangle with the Tigers (6-5).
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