The SUNY Brockport field hockey team received their first loss of the season Saturday, Sept. 10, as they fell by a score of 4-1 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Brockport entered the game 3-0 and outscored their opponents 20-1 before the home loss Saturday.
For Brockport, Ella Buchanon made her most ever saves in one game, saving 8 shots on a career high 12 shots faced. Bailey Lazore led the Golden Eagles in shots with three, two of which were on goal. Emmalee Moore and Katelynn Mello each also contributed two shots.
RPI struck first with a goal from Grace Johnson in the first quarter before Mikalya Berman tacked on another goal to make it 2-0. Junior Taylor Weber scored the only goal for the Golden Eagles in the second quarter on an assist from Mello to cut the deficit to one goal.
Although they had some chances in the second half, the Golden Eagles were unable to break through RPI goalie Jen Richardson. Second half goals from Rachel Banister and Delana Bonci eventually sealed the 4-1 victory for RPI.
The Golden Eagles were outshot and out chanced for the first time all season in Saturday’s game. RPI led the shots 16-9 and dominated the penalty corners 20-4. Head Coach Krista Archambeau thought there was a bit more of a disconnect between the players than in the previous three games.
“We were very connected in our first three games and really played as a unit. Today was our toughest challenge so far. The other team came out strong and we just have some things to work on,” Archambeau said.
She says that the transition for the defense wasn’t as sharp Saturday as in the previous victories.
“I think there was a disconnect between our offense and defense, our transition back into our circle was lacking. We’ll need to tighten up our transition on the circle to maintain possession,” Archambeau said.
Despite the loss, the team is still off to a strong start to the campaign, now sitting with a record of 3-1. They’ll look for a bounce-back performance Wednesday night, when they host Utica University.
