Sports > September 18, 2008

By Hailey Robbins | Staff writer

The No. 2-ranked Demon Deacon field hockey team finished the weekend with two victories over No. 6 Duke and Indiana, advancing their record to 6-0 in regular season play and 1-0 in the ACC. The Lady Deacs opened the Duke game on Sept. 13 determined, scoring 10 minutes into the first half with a cross from senior Michelle Kasold to junior Hilary Moore, giving the Deacs a slight edge.

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Junior Raisa Schiller battle for a ball against Indiana Sept. 14. The No. 2-ranked Deacons defeated both Indiana and Duke to move to 6-0 on the year. (Margot Lamson/Old Gold & Black)

A rough shot from Duke on a penalty corner tied the game as the clock expired on the first half. At the start of the second half, the Lady Deacs looked sluggish, but they picked up the pace with a goal from junior Aileen Davis.

“During half-time at Duke, we mostly went over tactical aspects of the game. Just things that we needed to adjust to put the ball in the back of the cage,” junior Regina Shannon said. “We took care of that early in the half. The first goal is the hardest to get, so once we got it, our momentum carried through the game.”

Davis scored when she caught a rebounded shot off Duke keeper Samantha Nelson during a penalty corner. Her goal marked the first of three unanswered goals from the Deacons. Junior Kim Romansky scored the final two to give the Deacons the 4-1 victory.

In their second match up of the weekend, the Lady Deacs looked to continue their fiery play against Indiana University Sept. 14.

Indiana converted on its first penalty corner in the first half, making the score 1-0 at halftime.

But once again the Deacs responded to the Hoosiers after half, eventually defeating Indiana 2-1.

Senior Minou Gimbrere began by shooting a rocket through the Indiana defenders and Davis guided the ball into the Hoosier cage.

Kasold was credited with the assist, her seventh of the season, on the play. Kasold set the ball for Gimbrere, to score, following a feed from junior Melissa Martin. Indiana was penalized because of an overly aggressive defensive player. This resulted in a penalty stroke opportunity for the Deacons.

Head Coach Jennifer Averill chose junior Regina Shannon to go one-on-one against former Wake Forest goalkeeper Alex Mann in the Indiana goal. Shannon sent the ball into the left-hand corner of the cage to give the Deacons the winning edge with just under 20 minutes in regulation.

“My first thought (going against her former teammate) was ‘awesome!’ I practice (strokes) so much, that it’s just a routine I get into. Jen (Averill) has me take a stroke just about everyday in practice, almost always with some kind of added pressure like people yelling or team punishments if I miss,” Shannon said.

“When I went up to take the stroke, I just stared at her jersey and told myself that I was putting this one away. Knowing her style didn’t help,” Shannon said. “She’s very aggressive and strong in the cage. And when you’re in the heat of the moment, there isn’t time to think about all of those things.”

Next up for the Deacons is Ohio University Sept. 20 in Charlottesville, Va.