Lynchburg, VA. — The DePauw women's field hockey team played their first two games this weekend against Lynchburg College and Washington College. The Tigers lost 2-8 to No. 13 Lynchburg in the season opener.
"I think anyone on the team would say we played a lot better than our score reflects," said junior forward Margaret Ellis. "East Coast field hockey and Midwest field hockey are very different. It's a different game, and so much quicker."
The Lynchburg Hornets jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a 1 minute 36 seconds in the game, but Ellis scored on a penalty stroke minutes later, evening the score.
Lynchburg then scored six unanswered goals before Ellis scored again on junior Caroline Torie's assist. In the end, the Tigers were outshot 23-10.
"Even after losing this weekend, it was a huge improvement from previous years," said senior forward Lissy Collin. The Tigers were back in action Saturday night against Washington College with a 2-1 win.
"We played so well," Ellis said. "There weren't just individuals that did awesome, it was a team effort."
DePauw played from behind once again, conceding a goal in the first half. The Tigers came out in the second half determined to put points on the board.
Ellis scored again — her third in the weekend — and Bridgette Shamleffer scored the game winning goal in the final minute of regulation time giving the Tigers their first win of the season.
DePauw held a 25-7 advantage in shots and an 18-5 margin in penalty corners.
"We completely dominated. It was just a matter of time until we got that goal," Ellis said.
The Tigers open North Coast Athletic Conference play on Sept. 10 at Kenyon College, and according to players, they're feeling better than ever.
"Our team has great potential," Colin said. "There's a lot of positive energy and drive to get better."
Ellis said this weekend was an opportunity to get the "first-game jitters" out of the way.
"We need to keep the same speed as our game against Washington," Ellis said. "We were so tired at the end of the game. It needs to be like that every time."