BELMONT, N.C.—The Bellarmine field hockey team won its fourth in row on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 5-2 win at Belmont Abbey College.
"Today was a special day for our program," said Bellarmine Coach
Devanny Boisvert. "During our pregame talk, Louisa Witten, the first head coach at Bellarmine who started the field hockey program, came into our locker room for the pregame talk. It was memorable for our girls to hear about the legacy she started and the tradition they are a part of. This really set the tone for the day and motivated them to work for one another."
Boisvert said the motivation carried over to the field. "We were very dynamic and purposeful with our decision making today," she said. "Our focus was communication and relying on it when we get tired. Our communication was consistent in the first and second quarters which led to three goals.
The freshman duo of
Alexa Rastigue and
Amber Hofenk Jerembo teamed up for the game's first score that came six and a half minutes into the contest, and
Mandi Isom converted off an assist from
Merit Harris to give the Knights a 2-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Another freshman,
Teresa Schmidt, tallied the only goal of the second quarter, scoring with just over two minutes remaining in the half to stake Bellarmine to a 3-0 lead at intermission.
After a scoreless third period, Schmidt struck again just 17 seconds into the fourth quarter, and Hofenk Jerembo made it 5-0 Bellarmine with just 5:53 remaining. Belmont Abbey finally got on the scoreboard with 1:02 remaining in the game, but that was enough time add a second goal to make the final 5-2.
Boisvert said the Crusaders made some adjustments at halftime that helped slow the Knights. "Belmont Abbey did a great job in the second half at adjusting their press, was successful in drawing corners and executing on the transition. We had two defensive breakdowns with jumping at the ball carrier. Luckily, we jumped on the scoreboard early and kept our composure through the majority of the game."
Schmidt and Isom drew praise from the Bellarmine coach after the game, and Boisvert said the forward line as a whole a great game. "We've been focusing on the forwards making the correct cuts into space and they really implemented those strategies into play today."
The Knights are right back in action tomorrow as they stay in North Carolina, but travel to Charlotte to take on Queens University. With today's win by Bellarmine, it sets up a match tomorrow between two teams with 5-2 records.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).
BOX SCORE (HTM)
