Jackets Fall to Chargers 3-0 in Driving Rain

After sharing the regular season Battlefield District title with Chancellor, James Monroe’s field hockey squad matched up with the Chargers for a one-game playoff Monday night at Courtland. The game would decide both the number one seed for the district tournament and an automatic berth to regionals. In a hard-fought, rain-soaked contest, the Jackets fell to rival Chancellor 3-0.

“It’s always a spirited match between us and JM,” said Chancellor head coach Jim Larkin after the game. “It’s always a tough game, and it’s always a good game.”

His words would hold true. The first half was a scoreless grind, as Chancellor held an advantage in possession for much of the period, but faced an intense Yellow Jacket surge in the final few minutes. As teams headed off to the break, the heavens opened up.

When played resumed, field conditions quickly deteriorated as the drizzle present during most of the first half turned into a downpour. Chancellor, who held a 9-5 advantage in corners, finally pushed across a goal with 22:12 remaining in the game. Kathryn Hull’s shot trickled past JM goalkeeper Christie Baer to give the Chargers a 1-0 lead.

As the rain worsened, the players’ control over their equipment was called into question, and the officials called a time-out to discuss the possibility of ending the game citing safety concerns. However, after a brief delay, the game was allowed to go on, and Chancellor pushed across two more goals en route to the final score of 3-0.

As a result of the decision, James Monroe will face Courtland Wednesday in the district semifinals, while Chancellor will face Eastern View. Both games will be played at Eastern View.

While Monday’s defeat is a definite setback, the Yellow Jackets can still secure a regional bid by winning the Battlefield District tournament (or by finishing better than any team other than Chancellor). James Monroe head coach Jamie Tierney discussed her team’s strategy heading into Wednesday’s semifinal match.

“We’re just going to work on some of the mistakes we made tonight and focus on that tomorrow,” said Tierney.