Senior Rosie Shanks opened the scoring for 2017 with a touch off of a long pass from outside the scoring circle from Ellen Colbourne with 32:23 having been expended off the clock in the first half. This is the fourth year in a row that Shanks has scored in the opening weekend and the second time she found the back of the cage twice. Cody Hunsicker made the score 2-0 in the second half with a rocket off a corner with only 6:47 ticking off of the clock as her shot zipped past the Hofstra goalie. She was assisted by Ellen Colbourne who was her usual ubiquitous self, making her presence felt the entire game. Shanks finished her two goal night assisted by Lisa van der Geest in a scrum to the right of the cage with the coup de grace delivered deftly by Shanks into the far left corner.
Van der Geest was all over the field showing her leadership from the backfield and was a standout individually on defense often beginning play and defending against the Hofstra attack.
Possession was the hallmark of the evening as the Leopards collected 10 shots to 3 for the Hofstra Pride. It included 4 corners versus 2 for the visitors according to the scorekeeper. Meanwhile the Lafayette the goal keeper, Sarah Park got her shutout in her first start and minutes of her career. She stepped up for 2 saves in the effort.
The enthusiastic opening game crowd of 250, supplemented by a strong contingent from the Leopards Football team, was treated to a game that demonstrated the Leopards stick skills, as they dominated time in the offensive side of the field. Lafayette’s depth was evident as Coach Stone used her bench liberally. Stone was impressed with her team’s performance especially from those who have been asked to play new positions this year.
Freshman Grace Angelella took the first shot of the season early in the initial period, and was found around the goal all night. Midfield work by Theresa Delahanty and Kristen Taylor was exciting to watch. Ellen Colbourne’s speed was always a factor that warranted attention from Hofstra’s defense.
It seemed as though 80 percent of the time Lafayette was threatening and Hofstra was forced on their heels. It is Lafayette’s 8th win of the series and a rebound from last year’s 4-1 loss at the Pride’s home field.
Highlights of the goals can be seen on http://www.goleopards.com. The game was scheduled to be live streamed but a technical glitch prevented its broadcast despite extensive testing yesterday.
Leopards next travel to Harrisonburg, Va. for two games. The first will be on Saturday with Appalachian State, and second on Sunday with number 19 ranked JMU.
Lafayette College Field Hockey 