The Hawk

Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Sports

Miller is crucial to continuing the Hawks'early season success.

It comes as good news to the Saint Joseph's field hockey team that the season lasts more than five games.

After starting 1-4, the Hawks hit their stride in winning the final two games of a recent five-game homestand. The Hawks now stand at 3-4 and will take a newfound sense of confidence on the road to Lafayette College--another team hungry for a turnaround after recent struggles.

After dropping four games, each by one goal, the Hawks could have lost confidence and allowed the season to spiral downward. However, the resilient Hawks, led by several impressive showings by goaltender Rebecca Cunfer, '08, rallied to beat Virginia Commonwealth University, 1-0, on Friday and then beat the University of Delaware, 2-1, on Sunday.

Cunfer recorded seven saves to preserve the victory over the previously undefeated and No. 14-ranked Blue Hens of Delaware. Cunfer has posted an impressive 0.95 goals against average, recording 43 saves in the first seven games.

The Hawks have been led on the offensive end by Jen Wrubleski, '11 (two goals, one assist), Theresa Barbati, '08 (one goal, two assists), and Marisa Pizzi, '09 (one goal, one assist). Throughout the 1-4 stretch, the offense was able to generate many chances to tie or win late in the game, but always came up short. Such opportunities are now being turned into goals as the offense seems to be headed in the right direction. With the offense starting to click and the consistent play of Cunfer in net, the Hawks have righted the ship as they embark on a four-game road trip.

"Thus far we haven't been a high-scoring team," said coach Michelle Finegan, "but the potential to get more points on the board is there. Our team is just beginning to learn to play with confidence together."

The team certainly played confidently Sunday, led offensively with goals by Brianne Miller, '08, and Mary Beaman, '10.

The Hawks now turn their attention to the Lafayette Leopards, a team that was playing well but has struggled in the past week. The Leopards (2-4) have lost two games in the last five days, against the University of Pennsylvania and LaSalle University.

Finegan still expects a challenging match.

"Lafayette has always been a tough opponent known for their feisty style of play," she said. "This year they have a new coach and have been doing well up to this point. We are integrating some younger players into our lineup at SJU and will continue to work on connecting on the field with the timing of our passes and cuts. It should be a good competition."

Lafayette is led by junior midfielder Maggie Condon, who has two goals and one assist. Another key contributor is freshman Meghan Cicchi. Cicchi, who tallied her first collegiate goal in a win over Quinnipiac, recently was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Both Lafayette and Saint Joseph's have played common opponents in Penn and Drexel, with each team recording one win and one loss against the pair.

Lafayette is the first opponent in an important road trip that will bring the Hawks past the halfway point in their season. Other opponents on the trip include American University, Rutgers University, and Saint Louis University.

This trip is crucial to how the season will turn out and Saint Joseph's will look to continue playing with the same confidence they displayed in the final two games of the homestand.

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