Rutgers Falls Short in Season Opener
Aug 26 | Field Hockey
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Rutgers field hockey team (0-1) built an early 3-1 lead, but could not hold on and lost its season opener 5-4 at Drexel (1-0) Aug. 26.
'I thought we had a good showing for the first game of the year,' said fourth-year Rutgers head coach Liz Tchou. 'I was encouraged to see us score three goals in one period. We need to continue to polish some skills - we just had some little errors here and there. We need to continue to tighten up the defense, but I was encouraged by our attack today.'
Freshman Kristen Johnson (Sachem, NY) gave the Scarlet Knights a lead almost immediately, finding the back of the cage with an unassisted goal just 1:43 into the contest. The Dragons tied the game less than seven minutes later, but Johnson set up sophomore Amy Lewis (Hainesport, NJ) for a penalty corner goal at the 10:42 mark for a 2-1 RU advantage.
Johnson, playing in her first collegiate game, struck again in the 22nd minute for her second goal of the day. Drexel answered 10 minutes before halftime, but Rutgers still led 3-2 at the break.
The Dragons mounted a comeback in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals in a 10-minute span to take a 5-3 lead. Lewis scored her second goal of the game off assists from Johnson and junior Corinne Bach (Moorestown, NJ), making the score 5-4 with 2:10 to play, and Rutgers nearly tied the game with 20 seconds remaining, but the Drexel goalie broke up a breakaway opportunity.
'' I think we did a pretty good job,' said Lewis. 'Our energy and intensity level was pretty high. We had a few letdowns and allowed them to score some goals. But we have to continue to work hard to improve those things for the rest of the season.'
Johnson posted six points (two goals, two assists) in her Rutgers debut, while Lewis, a second-team all-BIG EAST selection as a rookie last year, contributed four points. Junior Rosalyn Wentko (Dallas, PA) made three saves in the first half for RU, and freshman Leslie Kelly (Glassboro, NJ) played the final 35 minutes and did not make a stop.
Rutgers will finish the weekend at West Chester Sunday, Aug. 27, at 1:00 p.m.
Drexel 5, Rutgers 4
Field Hockey Non-Conference Game
Saturday, Aug. 26; Philadelphia, PA
Rutgers 3 1 4
Drexel 2 3 5
Shots: RU 14, DU 13. Saves: RU 3 (Rosalyn Wentko 3, Leslie Kelly 0), DU 5
(Colleen McAndrew 5). Penalty Corners: RU 8, DU 11. Cards: RU 0, DU 2.
Time Team Goal Assist
1:43 RU Kristen Johnson (1)
8:07 DU Catherine Chiara
10:42 RU Amy Lewis (1) Johnson (1)
21:32 RU Johnson (2)
25:17 DU Bronwyn Cox
38:32 DU Chiara Jennifer Bolger
47:28 DU Heather Bloemker Casey Mouser, Emily Horvat
48:25 DU Chiara
67:50 RU Lewis (2) Johnson (2), Corinne Bach (1)
