Bryanna Luciano | The Montclarion
The chants, “RED HAWKS, RED HAWKS,” boomed throughout the stadium. A sea of red and white flowed across the bleachers as the Red Hawks field hockey team stepped onto their home territory.
Eight minutes into the first quarter, the momentum flipped instead for the visitors. Skidmore College’s Emily Richmond laced a sharp shot inside the circle on the left side to the far post. The sweat beads dripped down each athlete’s faces as the sun blazed out on the green turf. The Red Hawks immediately called timeout to discuss what the next game plan would be.
As the game continued into the second half, both teams fiercely competed rocketing the ball back and forth on the field. The game became even more intense as parents started to shout for their children and chant what their next moves should be.
Skidmore’s goalie Zoe Mcquire made sure to keep the competition high for the Red Hawks, but halfway through the second quarter communication became a major key for Montclair State University. Sophomore Kelly Watson belted to her teammate across the field lining a picture-worthy pass to junior Amber Haslett. Haslett took this opportunity for a breakaway and wasted no time in the top of the circle, blasting a shot from the left side to score the tying goal and her fifth of the season.
The stadium roared with delight and excitement; however, the game was still not over yet. Neither team seemed ready to give in as the rest of the second half remained scoreless for both teams. The unstoppable defense on both ends lead the Red Hawks into overtime.
The anxiety was stricken across all of the fans’ faces for both Skidmore and Montclair State. When the Red Hawks returned to the field after their brief break, the energy seemed to be higher than ever, leading the team to keep the ball on their offensive side of the field for the majority of the half. Megan Mollanhan’s lightning speed allowed her to clear the ball for a quarter of the field and pass to senior Kate Struss for a one on one against the goalie. Struss used her tricky stick work to her advantage, lifting the ball to the right post for the game winner.
The rest of the Red Hawks raced to the circle, tackling Struss and piling one by one to celebrate the tough victory.
“It was an immediate sense of relief after scoring the goal,” Struss said. “After a heat-filled and long game, scoring was a great feeling.”
She speculated about how the game win would carry over to the following game.
“This win was a very positive one,” Struss said. “Although we do not play back to back often, this win should bring in a very positive and strong mindset for tomorrow’s game.”
With very little rest, the Red Hawks field hockey team shows no mercy in back-to-back wins for the weekend.The Montclair State Red Hawks came up big against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with a shutout of 3-0.
With her fourth goal of the season, Struss laced a beautiful reverse chip against the goalie at 22:36 in the first half to lead the team 1-0.
Although RPI’s goalie Rachel Kaufman did a remarkable job, stopping 16 shots for the team, the Red Hawks rallying could not be stopped.
Haslett also contributed two goals, leading her as the top scorer on the team at seven goals and her second multiple-goal game of the year. Her second goal was launched with only eight minutes to play at the top of the circle. The fiery shot cleared the right post and found the back of the cage.
Once again, the Red Hawks offensive line remained aggressive while defense remained an invisible shield.
The Montclair State field hockey team stands with a record of 7-0 and remains undefeated. They will continue their streak at home on Wednesday, Sept. 20, against Vassar College at 7 p.m.
