The Tribe’s longest home stand of the season ended Sunday with a lackluster 3-1 loss at the hands of Northeastern (4-4, 1-1 CAA). The defeat stunted the momentum gained from the College’s (4-6, 0-1 CAA) 2-1 victory Friday night over Radford University (2-5).
Friday, the Tribe got just enough offense to pull out a victory over the Highlanders. Sophomore midfielder Leah Zamesnik and junior forward Jenna Cinalli tallied one first-half goal each. Cinalli’s third goal of the year tied her with Zamesnik, senior forward Wesley Drew and junior midfielder Erica Eng for the team lead. Zamesnik, who scored the decisive second goal on a one-timed shot at the top of the scoring crease, now has three goals and three assists for the year, leading the team in total points (9) and in total shots taken (34).
“Leah has been shooting a lot more,” Hawthorne said. “The problem is she is often under pressure and can’t set up a good shot.”
Zamesnik did not have a chance to replicate her successful one-time strike Sunday against Northeastern. In a quick game that finished in just over 90 minutes, the Huskies dominated the time of possession in the Tribe’s zone. The visitors reeled off 18 shots to the College’s five and enjoyed a 9-1 advantage in penalty corners. Senior midfielder Kelsey Jackson provided a brief surge of momentum with a late first-half goal to tie the game at one heading into halftime, but the Tribe was unable to follow through.
“We need to have a more conscientious effort on defense,” sophomore goalkeeper Camilla Hill said. “We need to reduce the amount of penalties in our zone that lead to penalty corners.”
The Tribe’s lack of self-discipline on defense and poor offense were both evident throughout their 1-4 home stand. The College managed to net six goals over the five-game span for a lowly average of 1.20 goals per game. The team’s inability to score has increased the pressure on goalkeepers Hill and junior Carrie Thompson.
Hill, who began the year splitting time with Thompson, but now has started six games to the junior’s four, made 40 saves on 52 shots on goal over the past four-and-a-half games. Thompson entered the second half of the Radford game and stopped four of five balls in the Tribe’s lone victory.
“Camilla’s been giving us a tremendous effort, but our defense hasn’t been helping her out that much,” Hawthorne said.
