The field hockey team is making big strides late in the season to prove that they are worthy of contending for the Northeast Conference title. Riding on a two-game winning streak, the Hawks played host to Bryant on Friday.
MU came out on top once again with a 3-1 victory over Bryant to extend their win streak. The Hawks got on the board early with a goal from Michelle Pieczynski in the 13th minute. Then in the 29th minute, Jill Vogl struck for the Hawks this time with an assist from Tara Brown. The game was quiet for the rest of the first half as MU held a 2-0 lead.
The second half proved to be quiet as well. It wasn’t until the 61st minute that the Hawks put another goal on the board. This time, Orla Macken blasted a shot into the back of the net off a corner from Trish O’Dwyer.
Bryant finally scored their first goal of the game less than ten minutes later, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback.
MU improved to 5-11 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Goalie Teresa Mathews and the defensive unit were stellar once again, giving up only one goal. MU dominated in shot attempts, 18-8 and took control of penalty corners, 14-5. The victory was the Hawks’ first home victory of the season.
“Their forwards were extremely fast. They’re a real gritty team, but we worked really hard on executing on opportunities, coming from both a corner and live play. We’re getting better at executing those opportunities and finishing. It was a great win, but it wasn’t our best play. We have to be mindful of continuing in the right direction and cleaning a couple things up,” said head coach Carli Figlio.
The Hawks hosted Siena on Sunday afternoon. Siena was still looking for their first win of the season.
This time around, it was Siena that got on the board first with a goal in the 12th minute. After that, it was all MU. The Hawks scored two goals in less than one minute, as both Alex Carroll and Pieczynski scored. Only a few minutes later, Carroll struck again for her second goal and only a few minutes after that, Pieczynski struck again for her second.
The Hawks added three more goals in the second half to seal the deal, coming from Nicole Manziano, Amanda Schoenfeld, and O’Dwyer. It was an offensive show by the Hawks, but the defensive unit was as dominant.
MU led in shot attempts, 24-5 and in penalty corners, 13-7. It was a very physical match, and despite some bumps are bruises to some of the Blue and White’s players, they were still able to come out on top with the victory.
Now on a four-game winning streak, the Hawks have built up plenty of confidence in order to finish the regular season on a strong note. The team has high hopes that they will qualify for the NEC Tournament, which consists of the top four teams with the best conference records.
Pieczynski was named the NEC Player of the Week due to her efforts. She racked up seven points over the two games this past weekend, and continued to show why she is one of the most talented offensive players in the entire NEC. She also moved to first all-time in assists for the MU field hockey program.
“We just need to make the appropriate runs that we need to make while bringing the ball up. We’ve been focusing a lot more on the press and getting back on defense. We’re just trying to make more things happen,” Pieczynski noted.
“We need to keep focusing on stepping forward in the right direction. Hopefully if we make the tournament, we can do as well as we can,” Figlio said.
MU will stay at home Friday to host Robert Morris at 4 pm. On Sunday, they will square off against Rider.
