Lady Saints go 0-3 in tourney
Published 10:56 pm Tuesday, September 20, 2016
- Lauren Meyers tries to push the ball past a defender in the Cape Henry Round Robin tournament last weekend. Photo by Lisa Meyers
After winning four straight games, the Lady Saints field hockey winning streak was stifled by three losses in a tournament at Cape Henry.
They lost their first game in a rematch with Virginia Episcopal School. In the first meeting earlier this season, the Lady Saints lost 1-2. Last Friday was the same result.
“We played really well together,” Lauren Meyers said. “Anytime you play that well as a team, it hurts when you don’t get the win.”
One thing the Lady Saints felt they could have done better against Virginia Episcopal was to increase their energy. If it wasn’t for lack of energy that allowed Virginia Episcopal to score their first two goals, the Lady Saints felt they could have capitalized and avenged their loss to them from a month ago.
The following day the Lady Saints took on Foxcroft, which is ranked third in the state’s division. NSA lost that game 1-3.
Goalie Sarah Christiansen tallied 41 saves throughout the tournament. The Lady Saints went 0-3 in the two days of the tournament. Photo by Lisa Meyers
“They were a tough opponent for sure,” Abby Carlson said. “Our goal is to take that next step up, which means competing with the top teams like Foxcroft. We for sure could have played better against them.”
Following that loss, last Saturday against Foxcroft NSA played Cape Henry, which is ranked No. 1 in the state division. The Lady Saints played hard to the final buzzer, but they lost 0-2. It was a learning experience for NSA, and they can take that game and prepare for the next time they play Cape Henry. NSA will be at home, and that should help with new game plans and schemes they didn’t use before.
“The key to playing them will be our home field advantage,” Carlson said. “We work well together on the grass, and we are used to anticipating ball speed on our home field. We can score on them just like we did last year, and hopefully we can walk away with a win.”
The three losses put NSA field hockey at 4-6 on the year. Goalie Sarah Christiansen tallied 41 saves in three games.
“Despite the results, our team played very hard all weekend,” coach Ashley Skinner said. “The girls played to the last second of each game and gave their all.”
In the future, the Lady Saints want to improve on their offensive play and finishing.
“Capitalizing on scoring opportunities and earning offensive corners will be key for us,” Skinner said.
“We can definitely score against Cape Henry,” Meyers said. “We just have to value possession and score. Coach wants us to earn more corners.”
NSA will play Cape Henry again Oct. 7. Next for the Lady Saints is a home game against Norfolk Collegiate at 4 p.m. Sept. 27.
