Field Hockey's Slide Continues After Tight Losses To Yale And No. 3 Rutgers

Upper West Side NY

20 October, 2021

1:37 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MILES SCHACHNER OCTOBER 19, 2021 During the latest chapter of what has become a roller coaster of a season, the field hockey team fell short over the weekend, dropping two more games to extend its losing streak to six. In the Lions' fourth Ivy League matchup of the season, the squad was bested by Yale (5-7, 2-2 Ivy) on its home turf, losing a tight matchup with a score of 4-2 after clawing its way back into the game. Columbia (6-6, 0-4 Ivy) was also defeated by No. 3 Rutgers (12-2), which handed the Lions a 2-0 loss. The Light Blue continues to be plagued by offensive inefficiency, with each game highlighting the team's different shortcomings on that end. On Friday against the Bulldogs, Columbia did not struggle to generate offense, unlike last week's 1-0 defeat to Brown (6-8, 2-2 Ivy). The Lions pounced on a Yale defensive front that has been mediocre for much of the conference season, allowing the third-most goals in the Ancient Eight so far (tied with Columbia at 25). Once again, the Light Blue created significantly more offensive opportunities than its opponent—this week, Columbia outshot Yale 21-13, reaching its highest shot total of the season, and doubled the Elis' penalty corner total 6-3. Despite the Light Blue's ability to create offense, it squandered too many chances to capture their first Ivy League win. Friday's showdown against Yale was a tale of two halves. In the first, the Lions looked scattered and uncoordinated. They only took two shots and failed to earn a single penalty corner as they watched Eli forward Kelly Dolan take advantage of a fortunate bounce off a rebound to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. During the second half of play, Columbia turned it around, a rejuvenated team hungry for its first conference victory. After Yale doubled its lead to 2-0 in the third quarter, the Lions' offense was infused with new energy, driving with urgency to erase the Bulldogs' lead. Head coach Katie DeSandis said a change in offensive formation helped power a more effective second half. "We made some structural adjustments to try and get some more attack up. So we bumped up out of the four back [formation] to a three, and that just puts more people in the midfield and into the attacking zone," she said. "[First-year midfielder] Sophie Rockefeller was playing in the center-mid position, and she was able to do a lot of generation of attack." Sophomore back Maya Walker was the first Lion to capitalize on a scoring opportunity. The captain, who made numerous defensive stops in the first half, intercepted an errant Yale pass and drove through the teeth of the Bulldogs' defense herself, slinging a shot past Eli goalkeeper Luanna Summer to cut the deficit in half. The goal snapped a three-game scoring drought that had been looming over the Lions and immediately swung the momentum towards an energized Columbia team. DeSandis wasn't surprised to see Walker lead the charge on Friday. "She's always impactful. ... Maya is a true fighter," she said. "I sometimes don't know how she does it, but Maya is just a force to be reckoned with. So I'm not surprised with how she plays, because that's just who she is." Following Walker's goal, the Lions kept the pressure on the Bulldogs and eventually knotted the score up. After a penalty corner that allowed Walker another shot, first-year midfielder Lindsey Yu scored her third goal of the season, finding an equalizer that set up a dramatic final 10 minutes of play. Despite firing 12 shots and taking six penalty corners in the fourth quarter, the Lions' effort was not enough. Yale took the lead for good after forward Lily Ramsey blasted a shot past senior goalkeeper Alexa Conomikes in the 54th minute. A number of close shots and bounces told the story of the Lions' defeat. In the fourth quarter, sophomore forward Meg Bowen could not convert on a breakaway opportunity, and the Lions pulled Conomikes for an extra attacker with 1:51 left in the game. After Columbia failed to score with an additional offensive player, Yale capitalized on the empty net and scored another goal in the last minute, effectively putting the game away. Despite the disappointing result, senior midfielder Brooke Gasser said she was encouraged by the team's offensive effort. "[We had] so many shots on goal," she said. "I said in the huddle that we've been working on getting shots on goal. They did amazing. It really got the defense pumped up, and [we] wanted to help them more." On Sunday, the Lions traveled to New Jersey for a non-conference battle against national heavyweight Rutgers, which had already notched impressive wins over No. 3 Northwestern and No. 4 Penn State. Despite the 2-0 defeat, Conomikes had a stellar showing, stopping a career-high 18 shots. While the netminder kept them in the game, the Lions could not manage any productive offense. Sophomore forward Annabelle Brodeur launched a team-high three shots, but the Scarlet Knights outpaced the Light Blue 28-6 in shots and held the Lions to just one penalty corner. After a 6-0 start that was the best in program history, the Lions' record now stands even. Though injuries and the absence of star senior midfielder Kelsey Farkas have challenged the roster, the squad has also struggled to find an offensive groove. In its last six games, Columbia has scored three goals and been shut out four times. DeSandis said the group will focus on improving its effectiveness on penalty corners during practice this week. With an Ivy League championship out of the question, Columbia has three more conference games to prove the strength of its roster. The Lions' next opportunity will come on Saturday, Oct. 23 against Dartmouth. The game begins at 12 p.m. in Hanover, New Hampshire, and will be televised on ESPN+. Deputy Sports Editor Miles Schachner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @milesschachner. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.