Field Hockey Defeated 4-1 by NJAC Rival Kean

Photo by Steve Fallon

The Roadrunners were looking for their first NJAC conference win since Sept. 25, 2012 when they took on the Kean University Cougars on Tuesday. Kean was the same team the Roadrunners beat two years ago for their last NJAC conference win, but the Roadrunners lost this game 4-1.

“There is a lot of learning that can go on,” said Ramapo’s third year head coach Jane Koeniges. “Also, we did things that were much better this game than in any of our other games.”

The Roadrunners fell behind 1:23 into the game as junior forward/midfielder Chelsea Mann scored her seventh goal of the season from the left side of the goal with Marissa Robinson providing the assist. The goal was the first of three first half goals for Kean University.

The Roadrunners managed just one goal in the game scored by freshman midfielder/defender Lauren Santoro. It was her first goal of the season and senior forward, captain Dana Shea, earned an assist on the play.

The Roadrunners were not able to muster a lot of shot opportunities as they were outshot 12-2 in the first half and 28-4 for the game.   

Postgame, sophomore defender/midfielder Deirdre Vira said that the team has grown and improved through much of the season.

“I think that we played really well,” said Vira. “There’s just a few things obviously we still need to work on, things we turned around, but I think we improved a lot throughout the season.”

Freshman goalie Emily Wisneski recorded 13 saves for the Roadrunners.

The Cougars improve to 9-4 on the season and 1-2 in NJAC conference play with the win over the Roadrunners. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners will set their sights on three conference games against William Paterson, Rowan University and Montclair State University in their final five games of the regular season.

After falling to 2-11 on the season and 0-3 in NJAC conference play, the Roadrunners will want to take as much positives from their season-long struggles as they can and continue to build as a team. 

“Well, I think that has to do with practicing,” Vira said. “We have a really strong defense so I think in practice if we play our defense against our offense it’s going to really help to improve that and we have a lot of opportunities; it’s just making sure they get in there and I think we can do it.”

The Roadrunners will host the Neumann University Knights in a nonconference game on Saturday at the Athletic Center. The Knights are part of the Colonial States Athletic Conference. 

“We did find one of the learning things was your corners,” said Koeniges. “Giving a good amount of corners, that does help build an attack for the other team, but we are gaining so much more confidence in passing and moving so the more we play the more we’re learning.”

Coach Koeniges thinks the offense should be built from the defense. “Our offense should be built from the defense up. It is getting us all moving the ball up there, a little more possession, a little more time up there will certainly help it. We’re gaining the passing and we’re gaining the skills so that will come. The goals are the byproduct of the work moving up and we’re doing the work now the byproducts will come.”

pmcguire@ramapo.edu