Masuk Field Hockey Team plays Bethel to 0-0 tie

Fit to be tied! This describes the Masuk field hockey team's result on Tuesday when it played Bethel to a 0-0 tie at home under the lights. Masuk moved its record to 1-5-1 and Bethel is now 2-4-2-1 after the stalemate.

What hurt the Lady Panthers was their struggles putting the ball in the net. Except for one game, Masuk has played solid defense all year and with this combination – a 0-0 deadlock seemed to be the natural outcome.

"The big thing is we have to put the ball in the net," said Lady Panthers coach Kelly McKenzie. "It's been tough not practicing this week and it's affecting us."

Masuk controlled play for most of the first half and had the ball on the Lady Wildcats side of the field. Senior quad-captain Samantha Romano won balls in the midfield for the Lady Panthers and pushed it into Bethel's defensive end. Romano fed senior quad-captain Kelly Chrisman, who was aggressive on both sides of the ball and tried to ignite the offense.

Despite controlling play and ending the first half with a 4-0 advantage in penalty corners, Masuk had no shots on net before the break. Ironically, the Lady Wildcats had the best scoring chance of the half when senior quad-captain Elizabeth Morton hit the post.

Lady Panther junior Bianca Monaco played a role in Morton's misfired shot in the way she covered her like a blanket.

Monaco was scrappy on defense all night along with classmates Kirsten Santimays and Carly Wilson. Senior quad-captain Simone Romano spearheaded the defense and broke up many plays. Simone was the main force in keeping the ball out of harm's way. Also playing well defensively and helping on offense was senior quad-captain Natalie Ciancetta.

Ciancetta's classmates, Nikki Menillo and Taylor Johnston were defensive forces as well and broke up many plays.

Early in the second half, the Lady Panthers continued to control the pace and finally got off two shots, both by junior Jen Miller. Both times, Bethel senior quad-captain goalie Olivia Mullen (three saves) made the save.

"I thought we gave it our all and we tried our best," said Samantha Romano. "We had opportunities, but we weren't able to execute a goal."

Samantha Romano scored the team's second goal of the season in a 6-1 loss at New Fairfield on Friday. She hopes her goal will serve as a springboard for her teammates.

"It felt good and it was nice to get a goal," said Samantha Romano. "I hope it leads to more wins for our team."

Following Miller's shots, the tide began to turn and the Lady Wildcats started to control play. Bethel pushed the ball into Masuk's circle and Lady Wildcat senior Julie Costella fired a shot that sophomore goalie Heather LoPiano (one save) stopped. This was Bethel's only shot of the game as the Lady Panthers finished with a 3-1 shots advantage.

"We pushed hard and tried hard but we weren't able to get it in," said Sinone Romano.

The Lady Wildcats didn't lack scoring chances as they pushed into the Masuk end. Bethel ended the second half with a 5-2 advantage in penalty corners but had trouble getting off more shots because of the defensive play of senior Jen Mitri and junior Kristin Smith.

It all changed in overtime with the Lady Panthers having a slight edge in play. Chrisman fired a shot that Mullen stopped and led the offense. Mitri also shored up the defense.

"We were on the defensive in the second half and we needed to regroup," said Simone Romano. "We picked up our intensity after that because we really wanted a goal."

Masuk ended the game with a 7-5 edge in corners and 3-1 in shots. Despite having only two goals, McKenzie sees some positives.

"Overall, I'm happy," said McKenzie. "Just having an opportunity to score is progress from where we were. Having the opportunities to take the shots is the key. The more shots you take, the greater the chance it will go in."