Sports > September 20, 2007

By Hailey Robbins | Contributing writer

The No. 5 field hockey team took down two powerhouses this weekend, No. 12 Ohio and unranked Indiana. The Deacons advanced to five wins and two losses after the weekend, both 2-1 victories.

Sophomore Kim Romansky helped lead the team to victory in the first matchup of the weekend against 12th-ranked Ohio, scoring both of the Wake Forest goals. The first goal scored off a pass from freshman Liza Castella gave the Deacons a 1-0 lead within the first 11 minutes.

A mere 28 seconds later, Ohio’s Marcy Dull tied the game 1-1, with Ohio’s lone shot of the game. Romansky quickly cemented the Deacon victory by scoring again, expanding the lead to 2-1 by the 25:45 mark. The Wake defense proved too much for Ohio to recover the lead, holding Ohio to a second period shutout.

“Overall, we played a really good game,” s Romansky said. “It was definitely a team effort. We always have skills that we try and focus on each game and we were really able to show what we had accomplished as a team.”

Junior Minou Gimbrere led the Deacons in shots on goal, putting up six of the total 20 for the game. Senior Chelsea Cipriani added four shots, with juniors Liz Fries and Michelle Kasold offering two shots each.In the Sept. 16 game against Indiana, the Deacons increased their record from 4-2 to 5-2.

The first 35 minutes of the game proved tough for the Deacons, being held scoreless with four shots taken on cage. Indiana put forth two shots as well, but solid defense protected either shot from hitting the net.

After being held scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Cipriani scored off a pass from Kasold, giving Wake Forest a one-goal lead. Cipriani leads the field hockey team with most goals scored this season, scoring four goals in the past seven games. Two minutes later, Indiana’s Danitra Castro tied up the score on a penalty corner, putting the pressure on the Deacons to regain the lead.

Gimbrere offered another shot on the Indiana cage, which was saved by Haley Exner, before sophomore Regina Shannon hit the back of the cage, giving the Deacons the lead once more after 48:17 of play. Continuing on the path of domination, the Wake Forest defense only allowed two lone Indiana shots on goal, while Gimbrere placed two more shots on the board. Sophomore Melissa Martin added one more shot as the clock ran out in the second half. Junior goalkeeper Crystal Duffield had two saves over the weekend, with a weekend save percentage of .50 and career save percentage of .571. “I say to myself, ‘just breathe’ and sometimes we sing that song ‘Breathe, Stretch, Shake (Let it Go)’ to relax back there on corners and during the game,” Duffield said.

Dominating both games over the weekend, the Deacons outshot their opponents 30-4.

Wake takes on second-ranked University of Maryland, the defending national champion, Sept.22 at College Park. “It’s always a well-fought match,” said sophomore Kim Romansky.

Goalie Crystal Duffield echoed her teammate’s sentiments. “We are there to send them home and put them away. Everyone is always up for that game. I do not want to say it’s a grudge match . . . but it kind of is,” she said. “Coach always tells us before a game, you have the skills, just use the heart.” The Deacons are currently 3-1 in road games and undefeated at home.