USM Field Hockey Team Remains Unbeaten

Seek and ye shall find. In search of challenging competition, the varsity field hockey team traveled out of Wisconsin to contend in the 2011 Huskie Invitational sponsored by Oak Park River Forest High School - out of Illinois - on Friday and Saturday. In the tournament, the Wildcats found plenty of tough opponents, but as they left Oak Park to return to Wisconsin, they remain undefeated.

USM had two of its three pool play games on Friday afternoon. In the first game, they tied St. Joseph Academy of St. Louis, Missouri, 1-1. USM scored the game’s first goal. Senior Jenna Seter began the play by bringing the ball toward the St. Joseph’s circle from the right. She centered the ball to sophomore Kendall Youngblood who moved it to senior Cassie Bence positioned near the left goal post.  Bence tapped the ball in with 12:15 left in the first twenty-five minute half.

The Angels attacked the USM net demonically after that. At one point, they fired three consecutive shots at USM’s senior goalkeeper Margeaux Hagemann.  Hagemann made two of the saves. The third shot was beyond her reach, but sophomore Abby Wigdale, defending on the right post, blocked it and ran the ball out of danger.

The score remained 1-0 until 8:45 left in the second half when St. Joseph’s tied it on a short corner play. The ball went in to senior Tori Lage who hit it across to her classmate Hayley Wright on the far right. Wright gunned an off-angle shot into the USM goal on the short side.

In the game Hagemann made 10 saves, and St. Joseph’s senior goalie Josie Mellen made 5 saves.

After the game, USM’s head coach Tom Carter told his team, “That was very good field hockey, and you all played well. We came here to play good teams. St. Joe’s is a good team, and they tested us, but we showed we can play with the best.”

Wildcats face Kentucky state champs

Two hours later the Wildcats took on Assumption, the 2010 Kentucky state championship runner-up from Louisville. The teams played to a 0-0 tie. 

Carter commented, “That team was even better than the first one and we played them to a tie. I was pleased with our play. We had a couple of chances, but just couldn’t make them count.”

A skilled offensive team, the Couriers pressured the USM defense throughout the game. The Wildcat defenders, Wigdale, junior Michelle Bal, and seniors Catie Downey, Emily Hendrickson, and Ali Robinson, were as cool as a refrigerator in Antarctica under the attack. They kept their sticks down, forced Assumption shooters away from the goalmouth, and cleared the ball quickly. Hagemann stopped all seven shots that Assumption put on net.

After the game, a field hockey expert who witnessed USM’s efforts pulled Downey, a USM captain, aside to tell her that USM was the best he had ever seen defend inside the circle. He complimented the way the Wildcats withstood all of Assumption’s attempts to score.

Tough match against Loyola

USM’s next game of the tournament took place at 8 a.m. Saturday when the Wildcats played Loyola Academy of Chicago. Due to the early start and the fact that both teams had played two games the previous afternoon, the game did not demonstrate outstanding field hockey. The Wildcats had the better part of the play, but they could not make the most of scoring opportunities. The first half was scoreless. In the second half, each team scored a goal, making the final score a 1-1 tie.

USM scored the first goal at 16:06 of the second half. In the Loyola circle junior Meredith Jeffers sent a reverse stick sweep pass across to Seter on the far right.  Seter finished the play by blasting a shot past Loyola’s junior goalie, Steffani Alexander.

The Ramblers tied the game with 7:44 left. During a scramble after a short corner, Adelaide Hake got a loose ball on the far right side of the circle and immediately zipped a shot into the USM net.

In the game Alexander made eight saves, and Hagemann made one save.

USM takes second place in pool, faces St. Louis

The three ties gave USM second place in its pool and put them into their final game against Mary Institute Country Day School of St. Louis, which took second place in its pool. Facing another strong team, USM won 2-0.

A great deal of the play in the game was in the midfield. Hagemann only made four saves and Emily Sprong of MICDS only made three saves. The USM midfielders, Jeffers, seniors Erika Hurth, Sally James, Lindsay Neitzel, Georgia Hoagland, and Libby Aik and sophomores Catherine Jacobus and Addie Lerner, moved the ball to the sidelines and down the field to the forwards, Seter, Bence, Youngblood, senior Colleen Williams, and sophomore Chloe Schaefer. The effort paid off with a goal in each half.

At 15:32 of the first half, the Wildcats got the ball deep into the Rams territory. Youngblood went after a loose ball on the left side of the circle. She swept a backhand pass to Seter who was moving in on the right side. Seter one-timed the ball past Sprong to give USM a 1-0 lead.

A goal late in the second half secured the victory for the Wildcats. On a short corner from the left side, James sent the ball into Youngblood at the top of the circle. She passed it to the right to Seter. Seter pushed a low shot into the open side of goal for the score.

After the tournament, Carter was very happy. “We played the best possible competition and came away unbeaten. That’s fantastic. We learned some things that we will put into our training sessions in the next few weeks as we head for the state tournament in Wisconsin.”

USM is now 11-0-3. The Wildcats next game is at USM against Divine Savior Holy Angels’ varsity reserve team at 4:15 on Wednesday.