10/20/09 Stow vs Hawken (Rd 1 State Tournament) (L, 0-1)
Field Hockey Season Ends at Hawken
The Stow Bulldogs Field Hockey season came to an end on Tuesday evening as they lost a first-round tournament game to Hawken School by a score of 1-0. Stow's roster had been depleted by illness, as four players were sidelined by illness, including Senior defender Taylor Hendricks. It was a hard-fought game in which Hawken seemed to hold the advantage for most of the first half, leading in penalty corners by a 3-1 margin, but Stow's defense battled every advance, led by Seniors Abby DaFonseca and Sam Siegferth. Goalkeeper Anna Bendgen had two first-half saves, but the play of the half came as Bendgen blocked a shot at teh 7:50 mark, and a Hawken player tipped the rebound to the side, and another managed to deflect the pass toward the goal. With Bendgen on the far side of the goal, the ball appeared headed into the open net when Stow defender Becca Koyle suddenly swept in and flicked the ball away. Her outstanding effort allowed the Bulldogs to remain in a tense, scoreless tie at the half.
In the second half, the Hawks maneuvered into the offensive end once again. Only two minutes into the second period, Hawken gained posession at the top of the circle, and fired a shot at the left corner. The ball grazed the post and deflected into the cage, breakign the tie by a matter of inches.
Both teams continued to battle ifor the middle portion of the second half. Sensing it's season on the line, Stow's offense clicked into a new gear, and nearly all of the final 12 minutes were played in the Hawken end. Captain Lizzie Song flew to the ball all over the field, while Caitlin Crosier, Gina Bonfiglio, Kerry Bukowsky, Sam Hazelbaker, and Taylor Dohar stopped nearly every advance in the midfield. Jaclyn Hoover, Lizzie Perilman, Brooke Mariola, Laura Hale, and Taylor Prusa carried several offensive chances into the circle, but the Bulldogs could not get a timely deflection or an open shot due to some strong low defense by the Hawks. Stow flipped the penalty corner statistic from the first half, and held at 3-1 advantage, but could not find the back of the cage.
It was a frustrating defeat for the Bulldogs, and brought the 2009 season to a close. Coach Caitlin MacKenzie's team fought hard throughout the season, but ended with a 3-7-2 record in a season littered with single-goal losses. The Bulldogs will hope to build on the strong foundation set by this years' Seniors as they prepare for the 2010 seaon and beyond.
10/14/09 Stow vs Shaker Heights (L, 1-3)
Stow Ends Regular Season with Loss to Shaker
The Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs concluded their regular season with a tough loss to visiting Shaker Heights. It was the final home game for Seniors Lizzie Song, Jaclyn Hoover, Lizzie Perilman, Sam Siegferth, Abby DaFonseca, Laura Hale, Rebecca Koyle, Taylor "Jimmy" Hendricks, and standout goalie Anna Bendgen. The Bulldogs fought hard but surrendered three goals to the visitors. Late in the second half, Laura Hale took a pass from Lizzie Song and cound the back of the cage to narrow the lead to 2-1, but Shaker added a third goal late in the game to thwart any potential comback. Shaker had a commanding lead in penalty corners (12-5) and dominated time in the Stow zone. Anna Bendgen's 11 saves kept the Bulldogs close. Stow will travel to Hawken on Oct. 20 to begin their participation in the State tournament. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00.
10/8/09 Stow vs Western Reserve Academy (L, 0-5)
Reserve Blanks Bulldogs
The Stow-Munroe Falls Field Hockey team made the short trip north to face Western Reserve Academy on Thursday Oct. 8th. The Bulldogs played well defensively, but continued their offensive struggles as they fell to a solid Reserve squad 5-0.
The Bulldogs attempted to adjust to the speed of the synthetic turf, making it difficult to connect on passes. In the meantime, WRA scored four minutes into the game off a deflection to take a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later they added a second goal. From there, the Bulldogs defense started to stiffen as Abby DaFonseca, Sam Siegferth, Becca Koyle, Kendall Lang and Taylor Hendricks rushed to clear several advances. At the fourteen minute mark, WRA could no longer be denied as they brok through with a third score to take a commanding lead. The Bulldogs battled for another 6 minutes before Reserve reached the back of the goal once again. Then, with only 3 minutes left in the first half, Reserve put the game effectively out of reach with their fifth goal.
Many teams confronted with a 5-0 deficit would have quit, but the Bulldogs came out in the second half with determination and pride. They fought for every loose ball, and advanced to the offensive end on several posessions. After a first half of little action, the Reserve defense was forced to work to preserve the shutout. Lizzy Song, Lizzie Perilman, Jaclyn Hoover, and Laura Hale showed renewed energy in working the ball into position. Brooke Mariola showed off her improving stick skills as she manuvered the ball forward, and Sam Hazelbaker had several strong hits on the offensive end. Gina Bonfiglio, and Caitlin Crosier stifled the approaches in the midfield and turned the ball back over to the offense with solid hits. In addition, Taylor Prusa, Ali George, and Kerry Bukowsky came through to fight for the ball and make the hosts work for every posession.
In the meantime, Anna Bendgen continued her outstanding play in goal for Stow, recording 12 blocks on the night, including four in the second half to hold the hosts scoreless over the final 30 minutes. The Bulldogs will host Shaker on Wednesday, October 14, and then will begin tournamnet play at Gates Mills' Hawken school on October 20th at 4:00.
10/6/09 Stow vs Magnificat (L, 0-1)
Magnificat Slips By the Bulldogs
The Stow Munroe Falls Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker on Tuesday night, dropping a narrow 1-0 decision to the visiting Magnificat Blue Streaks. The Bulldogs siezed momentum early, as the offensive intensity was diled up by Seniors Lizzie Song, Jaclyn Hoover, Laura Hale, and Lizzie Perilman. Most of the first half was played in the Magnificant end of the field, and Stow earned 7 penalty corners while Magnificat had 2 in the entire half. But the hosts could not generate clear shots on goal, and the Magnificat defense managed to block or sweep away any opportunities.
Late int he first half, the Blue Streaks gained posession and worked the ball rapidly into the offensive zone. The visitors slipped a shot into the cage before the defense could reposition. Magnificat went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage, but Stow seemed destined to break through in the second half.
After intermission, the Bulldogs continued to dominate field position. The Stow defense, led by Sam Siegferth, Becca Koyle, and Taylor Hendricks, shut down several advances by the Blue Streaks. In the midfield, Caitlin Crosier, Gina Bonfiglio, Sam Hazelbaker, and Taylor Prusa transitioned the ball to the offensive end. Stow dominated in penalty corners again in the second half, garnering 8 more penalty corners, but each scoring chance was thrwarted by a timely defleciton or a shot that barely missed its mark.
Anna Bendgen continued her strong play in goal, surrendering only one goal, but it proved to be enough for the Blue Streaks to spoil Senior Night. Stow will next face Western Reserve Academy on Thursday niight.
