The Columbia field hockey team will look to build on its two-game winning streak on Sunday as it travels to Massachusetts to face off against Holy Cross. Columbia enters the game 7-2 on the season, with the two losses against Ivy foes Cornell and Princeton earlier this month. Holy Cross, conversely, enters this weekend’s matchup with a sub .500 record, as it is 4-6 on the season and 0-1 in the Patriot League. The Crusaders will host the Lions on Sunday after hosting Lafayette on Saturday. Holy Cross is in the middle of a three-game home stand.
Columbia is coming off a 1-0 victory over Lafayette, in which the Lions won a defensive battle. Jane Gartland scored the only goal in the game and goal keeper Gena Miller notched her third shutout of the season.
The Lions have been helping out Miller with stifling defense, allowing their opponents to average only 9.6 shots per game, while the Lions are averaging 11.6. Columbia has also statistically dominated the second halves of games, outscoring its opposition 16-5 and outshooting them 50-42 in the second half. Junior Christine Buszczak leads a balanced Lions scoring attack with 15 points, four of those coming in the form of goals. Buszczak is tied for the team lead in goals with four, and leads the team in assists with seven.
On the other side of the field, the Lions will have to account for senior forward Kristin Schulz, who has been on a tear as of late. Earlier in the week, Schulz scored both Crusader goals in a 2-1 overtime victory over Stanford, and currently leads the team in points with six goals and two assists. In goal for Holy Cross is senior Erin Singleton, who has started all 10 games this season. Singleton has a .755 save percentage this season and has a goals against average of 2.92.
Despite the Lions’ stellar record and undefeated start to the season, they have faltered lately. The Light Blue began 5-0 with wins over Richmond, William and Mary, Quinnipiac, Brown, and Fairfield. Columbia is 1-2 in the Ivy League, however, and will be looking to tune up for more conference matchups next weekend.
The Lions will begin play in Worcester, Mass. at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
