Field Hockey Looks for Second Straight Win After Fairfield Victory

Fresh off its first victory of the season, Columbia Field Hockey looks to build on the momentum captured by a 2-0 win against Fairfield in this weekend’s upcoming home match against Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“I think the win gave us a lot of confidence that we needed,” head coach Katie Beach said. “Now we can focus on just going out there and competing.”

The Mountain Hawks, however, are coming off some impressive displays of their own, including three straight victories, one at Fairfield, an overtime thriller against Georgetown, and a victory at St. Francis. Beach remains unfazed.

“Last year we played really well against Lehigh,” she said, alluding to a 2-0 road victory in Pennsylvania. “We don’t really change how we play from game to game, although there are some pieces we will adjust based on Lehigh’s play.”

Beach knows her squad will have to put forth a strong defensive effort in order to come out with a victory.

“Lehigh tends to emulate Cornell using a big ball game as opposed to small passes—to defend against this we will drop off a bit and look to intercept,” she said. “That’s a strength of ours.”

Game planning can only take the team so far, and Beach will be relying on her more experienced players to execute the game plan. “Megan Davidson, Gena Miller in goal; we’re looking to our leaders on the field to come out and really give it their all,” she added. “Jacqui Munro has been fantastic in the backfield for us.”

Coming off the first win of the season, a team always has to be weary of a letdown in the following game. However, Beach does not envision a problem.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to get too high in our heads,” she said. “We’ve got to prepare to beat teams that are ranked in and outside of our conference. Our focus is playing to win every moment.”