DePauw field hockey kicked off their season this weekend with a win against Hendrix University and a loss to Rhodes College.
On Saturday, the Tigers squared off against Hendrix University for their first game of the season where they routed the Warriors 10-1. The game was played at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.
Some DePauw players saw the match as a litmus test for the rest of their season.
“It was really our first time really playing as a team, so it was kind of like a test to see how it was going to go,” said junior forward Tori Witteman.
The Tigers looked to add an additional win to their record on Sunday in another away match against Rhodes College, but the game came down to the wire. Although a close match, the Tigers fell to Rhodes College in overtime by a score of 3-2.
The game had more significance than just a normal early season match due to the team’s history. “We played them (Rhodes) twice last season and both times we lost by a fairly large margin,” said junior forward Paige Berliner, “I think that coming into this game we were hoping to prove that we were able to compete with them.”
The game started off fairly slow as neither team was able to establish a lead, but junior midfielder Reilly Bruce was able to break the silence in the 20th minute with a goal. The lead did not last long, however, as Rhodes was able to answer back with a goal in the 22nd minute.
Tied at one, DePauw developed a strategy in the locker room at halftime before heading back onto the field.
“Heading into the second half we talked a lot about passing, communicating, and winning those 50-50 balls,” said sophomore forward Corina Bourantas, “If you win that 50-50, you can pass it on to another player, so we talked about winning those balls.”
The second half played out in a similar fashion to the first with neither team able to take advantage of their early scoring opportunities. However, Rhodes was able to break the silence in the 44th minute with a goal that helped them take a 2-1 lead.
First-year forward Kate Milner fought back, burying a goal just four minutes later to knot the game back up. The game ended in regulation with a score of 2-2 and an overtime period was needed to decide a winner. In the 76th minute, Rhodes sealed their win with a goal.
This was the Tigers’ third consecutive loss to the Lynxes, but it was the closest contest of those three. Although the team is disappointed with the result, they aren’t disappointed with the performance.
“Obviously it sucks to lose, but I think we were all really happy with how we played because we had control of the ball for most of the second half,” Berliner said, “We had hit the post a couple of times towards the end, and that’s just one of those unlucky things that happens, but I think we we’re all pretty happy with how we played.”
The Tigers next scheduled game is tonight at Wittenberg. The game kicks off at 5 p.m. and there will be a live video feed through the DePauw Athletics website.
