2008 Woodie Awards
Red Hawk Field Hockey Team Holds off Rowan
Jose Ortiz
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Sports
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Sophomore midfielder, Jen Soss, scored the game winning goal against Rowan a quarter into the game at Sprague Field last Saturday. But the real blow came via the swarming Red Hawk defense that stood strong against the 18-shot barrage mounted by the Profs, and for the third time this season, shutout their opponent.
In the first half, it seemed that Rowan would go down easily like the other seven teams claimed on the field hockey team's record. MSU held the Profs to just three shots with no penalty corners. After freshman sensation, Jennifer Tanis, notched her sixth goal of the year on a rebound from Alexandra Kelly, the Red Hawks had a comfortable 2-0 cushion going into the second half.
The Red Hawks hadn't defeated Rowan in almost eight years, and as if possessed by the ghost of Prof field hockey past, Rowan unleashed an offensive attack of enormous proportions.
They outshot the Red Hawks 15 - 0 in the following half; this was precisely when the field hockey team showed that their 7 - 1 record was no fluke.
Shot after shot, penalty after penalty, the Red Hawks fought, clawed, and did whatever else was necessary to close the door on Rowan's hopes of a comeback.
Defensive captain, Lisa Smicklo, who chipped in with an assist, said that their defense was clutch.
Well, that may have been understated a bit when you take into consideration that Rowan was the nation's eighth ranked team coming into the contest, and that the Profs are certainly a conference rival.
During the second half, the Red Hawks defended against nine penalty corners, and didn't take one shot on goal the entire 35 minutes. Robyn Apicelli played masterfully, making nine of her 11 total saves all in the final half, including five in the last 12 minutes of the contest.
The Red Hawks seemed to be unphased by the constant attacks from Angela Ruggierio and the rest of the Profs. Smicklo said, "It was tiring, but you have to do what you have to do when it comes down to it."
In the first half, it seemed that Rowan would go down easily like the other seven teams claimed on the field hockey team's record. MSU held the Profs to just three shots with no penalty corners. After freshman sensation, Jennifer Tanis, notched her sixth goal of the year on a rebound from Alexandra Kelly, the Red Hawks had a comfortable 2-0 cushion going into the second half.
The Red Hawks hadn't defeated Rowan in almost eight years, and as if possessed by the ghost of Prof field hockey past, Rowan unleashed an offensive attack of enormous proportions.
They outshot the Red Hawks 15 - 0 in the following half; this was precisely when the field hockey team showed that their 7 - 1 record was no fluke.
Shot after shot, penalty after penalty, the Red Hawks fought, clawed, and did whatever else was necessary to close the door on Rowan's hopes of a comeback.
Defensive captain, Lisa Smicklo, who chipped in with an assist, said that their defense was clutch.
Well, that may have been understated a bit when you take into consideration that Rowan was the nation's eighth ranked team coming into the contest, and that the Profs are certainly a conference rival.
During the second half, the Red Hawks defended against nine penalty corners, and didn't take one shot on goal the entire 35 minutes. Robyn Apicelli played masterfully, making nine of her 11 total saves all in the final half, including five in the last 12 minutes of the contest.
The Red Hawks seemed to be unphased by the constant attacks from Angela Ruggierio and the rest of the Profs. Smicklo said, "It was tiring, but you have to do what you have to do when it comes down to it."