WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — On a cool Friday afternoon, the fourth-seeded Hartford Hurricanes faced off against the fifth-seeded Spaulding Crimson Tide in a Vermont Division II field hockey quarterfinal at Memorial Field.
The Hurricanes took advantage of early opportunities in the first half to build a lead they never relinquished, earning a 3-0 victory behind a stingy defensive effort.
“For many of these kids, it was their first tournament game,” Hartford head coach Heather Scudder said. “As much as they prepare as hard as the veterans, they aren’t seasoned like the veterans, and so I was pleased with how they settled into the game quickly.”
Hartford dominated possession in the first quarter, earning seven penalty corners but failing to convert any of them.
The Hurricanes broke through in the second quarter on their ninth corner. Freshman midfielder Nora Comeau slipped the ball past Spaulding freshman goalie Carmelina Royer on the right side to give Hartford a 1-0 lead. Senior midfielder Hailey Vanasse picked up the assist.
Later in the quarter, Hartford struck again when freshman midfielder Bella Lombardi found a wide-open right corner that Royer had no chance to reach. Comeau assisted, giving the Hurricanes a 2-0 halftime advantage.
In the third quarter, as the teams switched roles, Spaulding gained momentum and generated multiple penalty corners. But Hartford’s defense repeatedly broke up passes and limited the Crimson Tide to just one shot, which was well defended, keeping the score 2-0 heading into the fourth.
The Hurricanes sealed the win with 10 minutes remaining when sophomore wing Amaya Argyros found the back of the net off a Vanasse assist.
When asked about the key to the team’s defensive success, Scudder pointed to fitness and depth.
“When kids get tired, they make mistakes. They make bad choices. They don’t move their feet, they don’t bend their knees — and that’s all fitness,” she said. “When you’re tired, you tend to stand up, you tend to reach, you tend not to sprint out to the ball, and that gives the opponent the ball.”
Sophomore goalie Gracie Roberts made three saves for Hartford, which will travel to Bellows Falls on Tuesday, Oct. 28, for the semifinals.
