Box Score
FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University field hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision to the No. 3 West seed, California (7-11), in a Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) Tournament quarterfinal match on November 1 at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. Freshman
Kim Ruiter|Huizen, The Netherlands (Luzac College) scored the team's lone goal to lead the No. 2 East seed Lancers (7-13) in the outing. Longwood will take on the No. 4 East seed, Radford University, in a consolation match on Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
“That was a disappointing end to our competitive season,” said head coach
Iain Byers. “I don't think the score line represents the complete picture of the game and all of the opportunities we had. I think the entire team is disappointed with the fact that we didn't score more goals than the one that we did. I think we certainly could have competed better with Cal. We've got Radford tomorrow for the third time this season. We want to go out on a high note for our seniors and make sure we finish well for them.”
Junior
Stacey de Grandhomme|Cape Town, South Africa (Table View) posted a team-high seven shots in the outing. Senior
Christina Verhulst|Yorktown (Grafton) notched four shots, all of which were on goal, while Ruiter recorded three shots to add to the offensive effort. Sophomore
Jessica Diaz|Chesapeake (Western Branch) and freshman
Hollie MacDonald|Yorktown (Tabb) registered two shots apiece and
Meghan O'Connor|Stafford (North Stafford) tallied one.
The squads battled through more than 24 minutes of scoreless action until Cal broke the game open. Rachelle Comeau launched a deep pass from the left side of the field that Claire Dougherty intercepted for the re-direct into the upper right corner of the cage, sending the Golden Bears into the break up, 1-0.
In the second half, Cal added four consecutive goals to extend its lead. Less than two minutes into the period, Lara Kruggel fired a shot from the 25-yard line that was deflected by Comeau for the goal. Comeau tallied her second score of the night with an assist from Caroline Struijk before Nicole Wallstedt tapped in a slow-roller from Deanna Kennedy, putting the Golden Bears on top, 4-0. Cal tallied its fifth and final goal of the night when Comeau completed her hat trick on a penalty stroke with less than nine minutes remaining in the contest.
Longwood converted on a penalty corner to get on the board with just over seven minutes left to play. Ruiter collected the rebound off of the goalkeeper's pads following the initial shot and finished with a shot of her own, finding the back of the cage to make it a 5-1 decision.
The Lancers outshot the Golden Bears, 19-12, including a 14-6 advantage in the second half. LU also took a 6-2 edge in penalty corners. Thursday's match marked the seventh meeting ever between Longwood and California in the sport of field hockey with Cal holding a 7-0 lead in the all-time series.
