Header Image: Courtesy of Sean Cornely

Enrique Carrasco. Editor

The La Salle Explorers field hockey team faced off against Lehigh (3-2) and Wagner (0-4) on September 10 and September 12;, both games were played at home at Hank Hank DeVincent Field. In an extremely close game against Lehigh, the Explorers won 4-3 with the game winning goal coming  from Freshman forward Sophia Wasyliw at the 39th minute of the game. This goal put  the Explorers up 4-2, with a late goal coming from Lehigh at the 56th minute, making the final score 4-3.  Apart from this goal, the Explorers amounted to three separate goals, with two of them coming in less than three minutes from each other. The first goal for the Explorers came at the 24th minute from freshman forward, Cristina Dougherty, tying the game at 1-1 after a goal from Lehigh’s Drew Pecora. The second goal for the Explorers came at the 26th minute, off the stick of graduate Jessica Hewitt, bringing the score to 2-1. After allowing Lehigh to score in the 32nd minute of the game, sophomore forward Tatum Johnson found the back of the net putting the Explorers up 3-2. The goal  was later followed by Wasyliw’s game-winning shot from inside of the circle. The Explorers managed to rally against a strong start from Lehigh, their strongest opponent thus far this season. The game winning goal is the first goal accredited to freshman Sophia Wasyliw during her time thus far at La Salle. The goalkeepers on both sides of the game saw a lot of action, with a total of 29 shots, and  18 of them being on goal. With this win, the Explorers move to 3-0 at home games, and 3-2 sofar in their season. 

On September 12, 2021, the Explorers faced off against the Wagner Seahawks, and came away with a 1-0 shutdown win. The only goal in the game came from freshman defender Sofia Pla, who scored her sixth goal of the season. Pla has proven in her short time at La Salle that she was one of the most beneficial gets for the Explorers, scoring six goals as a defender. She currently leads the team in scoring, with the person who follows her being sophomore forward Tatum Johnson, who has scored  four goals in the season. With this win, the Explorers move to 4-2 in their season, and continue their undefeated streak at home (4-0). 

This winning streak that the Explorers carry with them is a change of pace from last season where they finished the season 0-11. The Explorers recorded their first win in over a year during their home opener game at Hank DeVincent field. The incoming players, such as Pla, have brought a much-needed energy and injection of life into a team that desperately needed it. If they carry this momentum with them forward into the season, the team can be a real threat towards other strong teams in the postseason.