Field hockey looks to build on win over Lehigh

The Columbia field hockey team got back on the right foot with a 3-1 victory over Lehigh on Wednesday. The Light Blue (6-6, 1-2 Ivy) will look to carry its momentum into a pair of weekend matchups against Ivy rival Dartmouth and nonconference opponent Vermont.

In their game against the Mountain Hawks (5-9, 1-2 Patriot), the Lions took the lead early and never looked back. In the 13th minute of play, freshman forward Gabby Kozlowski took the ball down field and netted a hard shot in the top of the goal. Despite six more shots by each team, this was the only goal of the first half, giving Columbia a 1-0 advantage at halftime.

Less than five minutes into the second period, the Light Blue scored again. This time it was sophomore back Desi Scherf who added a point for the Lions when she scored off a penalty stroke.

Columbia’s final point of the game was another goal by Kozlowski, as she scored off an assist from senior forward Christine Buszczak at 50:50. Lehigh would score with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, but it was unable to complete the comeback.

In the game before Lehigh, Kozlowski scored her first collegiate goal, giving her three goals in two games.

“Gabby has done a great job for us in the past few games,” head coach Jana Woolley said in an e-mail. “She is a natural goal scorer, and if she has room and time—she can find the back of the net. Gabby has been working hard to get fitter, and we are seeing the results of her hard work paying off.”

Even though the Lions outscored the Mountain Hawks 3-1, they only outshot them 14-12. Excellent goalkeeping by freshman Christie O’Hara kept Lehigh from closing the gap as she had two saves in each half and did not allow any goals. The Mountain Hawks’ only goal came against junior goalkeeper Erin Conway, who replaced O’Hara with a little over eight minutes left in the game.

The Big Green (6-7, 2-2 Ivy) will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak when it faces the Light Blue on Saturday. Dartmouth’s most recent loss was a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Ancient Eight foe Yale.

In that matchup, the Big Green gave up an early goal to the Bulldogs and was never able to recover. Down 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to go in the first half, junior defender Virginia Peisch evened the score for Dartmouth off an assist from freshman forward Samantha McPherson. However, Yale would score twice more before the end of the half.

The Big Green’s other goal came off the stick of sophomore forward Kelly Hood in the 62nd minute of action. Hood leads the squad with 29 points (11 goals, seven assists) on the season, good for second in the Ivy League.

Columbia’s game against Dartmouth will mark the midpoint in its Ivy season, making a win even more important than usual.

“Dartmouth is a big game for us,” Woolley said. “A win would help boost our Ivy League standing and get us closer to finishing where we want to be as a team. Our goal at this point in the season is to finish in second place.”

If the Lions want to turn their season around, they are definitely going to have to fight as the Big Green excels in converting scoring opportunities.

“We will have to play well, execute with poise on the offensive end, and really limit their corner opportunities,” Woolley said. “They have an excellent corner battery that can score goals.”

Vermont (1-13, 0-3 AEC) is currently riding an eight-game lose streak, as its last—and only—victory came on Sept. 13 against UC Davis.

The Catamount’s most recent loss was a 2-0 shutout defeat to Albany. In the contest, Vermont was outshot 15-7 and notched only four shots on goal.

Leading the Catamount offense is senior forward Megan Maynard. Maynard has 10 points on the season with four goals and two assists.

Saturday’s game against Dartmouth is scheduled to begin at noon in Hanover, N.H. Sunday’s matchup in Burlington, Vt., is set to begin at 2 p.m.