The women's field hockey team made winning look easy again this week, defeating their opponents by a combined score of 10-1.
Last Tuesday, the Lions took control of their game versus Manhattanville College from the very beginning and went on to win 6-0.
Junior Allison Greene scored on an assist from sophomore Sheri Grondski 2:44 into the game. With 9:20 left in the first half, freshman Jennifer Lubin assisted junior Jess Berkowitz to make the score 2-0 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Lions' offense caught fire, scoring four goals. Berkowitz tacked on another, and sophomore Colleen Dougherty, freshman Kelly Mitchell and junior Meg Hess each added a goal.
The senior goalkeeper, Kristina Beyel posted her second straight shutout.
Senior defender Kaitlin Wooster stressed the importance of defense. "Our defense is just as important as our offense," she said. "In the first three games, we only gave up one goal, and we think that's pretty good."
In the Lions' second game of the week, their defense was once again up to the task, only allowing one goal. The College defeated SUNY-New Paltz in Kingston, New York 4-1.
The road was a little tougher for the Lions, however, and they had to fight back from a deficit for the first time this year. Just three minutes into the game, SUNY scored with 22 minutes remaining in the first half, but Dougherty tied the game with a goal assisted by Hess.
Dougherty scored again before the end of the half, and the Lions did not look back. In the second half, Greene scored two goals, one assisted by Hess, and freshman Melissa Buttray picked up the other.
"I am really happy about our start," Pfluger said. "Every day our goal is to get better. I believe we can get to an even higher level with this team and make a push for the final four."
Although it seems that the Lions are rolling right now, Pfluger says that there are always things to work on. "You always have to work on the fundamentals," she said, "and we are always trying to figure out which combination of players works best together out on the field."
Berkowitz agreed. "We want to make it our goal to not let anyone else score on us this season," she said.
This week, the Lions begin their tough New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule.
"The conference is a completely separate element," Pfluger said. "The girls are aware, but we prepare for every game the same."
On Saturday the Lions will play at William Paterson University and next Tuesday they will play at Ursinus.
