Coach Erin Simons is one of many excited for Cardinal field hockey after a 7-8 campaign for a squad that will lose only 3 seniors.
An undermanned Ireton field hockey team was belted 5-1 in the regular season visit to Quinn Field, so the Cardinals hoped their now fully manned varsity team might catch the Cadets of St Johns looking forward to Holy Cross Monday in the WCAC quarterfinal in Washington. They certainly got the Cadets’ attention in a tough 2-1 setback that wasn’t decided until the game’s final whistle.
Grace Fletcher gave Ireton a 1-0 lead when she scored with 17:13 left in the opening half of play. St Johns tied the contest at 14:44 left in the first period off the first of two penalty corners that would ultimately haunt the visiting Cardinals. Not long after the Cadets tied the game, it appeared the redbirds had regained the lead. That they did not would loom large.
Ireton controlled the ball and field position throughout much of the game and appeared to have recaptured the lead. As the team’s ambled toward the center circle, the off side official waved “no goal” to the scorer’s table and conferred with the second official who had ruled the shot a goal. After the brief meeting, the officials declared “goalie obstruction” and disallowed the tally and the game proceeded at 1-1.
Though senior Susie Rhodes and the Ireton defenders continued to turn away the St Johns offense, and Izzy Obregon and Kelly Mathews used long clearing passes to initiate the Ireton offense, the shadows crawled across the artificial turf without either team finding a deciding goal.
Finally, with 4:07 to play in the match, the fateful second penalty corner was awarded and, following a scramble in front of the goal, the orange sphere shot into the box and Ireton was suddenly down a goal with little time remaining. Much of the final four minutes involved the Cardinals frantically attempting to attack while the Cadets worked equally desperately to clear and clog the ball at midfield. In the end, Ireton found the time insufficient and the season came to a close with a narrow setback.
“It is a bittersweet time for us right now.” said a disappointed Coach Erin Simons. “We have a great nucleus of girls returning next fall, only three graduate. But to have this season end in a manner we had so little control over is disappointing to me and to them.”
For Bishop Ireton, the second season in the WCAC saw the squad post a record high seven wins, including their first ever WCAC win, a 2-0 shutout of Elizabeth Seton and subsequently another 2-0 win over O’Connell. Their 5th place finish was their highest finish in the program’s two years of conference play.
Processing your request, Please wait....
