The field hockey team was confident heading into their matchup against Towson University. Up until that point, they had been undefeated at Hank DeVincent Field. Confidence could only be bolstered by the fact that Towson was coming into this game with an 0-5 record, while La Salle held a respectable 4-2 record.
The first quarter was relatively uneventful for both sides, with the Explorers registering just three shots on goal, and the Tigers managing just one.
Towson, however, would strike first in the second quarter. Dominique Nelson’s pass would find the stick of Paige Reese, whose low shot managed to find its way through the numerous bodies in front of La Salle’s net, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Despite being awarded five corners in the second quarter, the home team couldn’t find a breakthrough going into halftime.
The second half of the game saw an ample amount of offensive pressure, outshooting Towson 6-1 and holding a 3-1 advantage on corners. Despite the constant pressure, the Explorers could not find a breakthrough and ended the game 1-0.
It was then off to Big 5 rival Villanova on Sep. 19, where sophomore Tatum Johnson opened the scoring early. Johnson was able to give La Salle a 1-0 lead about four minutes into the game, but Villanova responded with goals from Amanda Middleman and Caitlin Van Goeverden.
The Explorers weren’t deterred, however, quickly fighting back with goals from juniors Hannah Yanovich and Casey Reilly to take back their lead. The Wildcats were able to respond, equalizing with a goal from Sabine de Ruijter, and eventually winning the game with another de Ruijter goal.
The field hockey team will be back in action on Sep. 24, taking on the University of Richmond in Virginia.
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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.
The La Salle Explorers men’s soccer team secured their first win of the season at their home opener game against St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday, Aug. 30. The first half was significantly slower than the second half, with both teams only making five shots on the goal. At the end of the first half, the score remained 0-0. After starting with the ball in the second half, the Explorers were off to a quick start, with sophomore Justin Brunow firing off three shots to the goal, all of which were stopped by the goalkeeper. The game-winning goal came at minute 74, off the foot of La Salle’s senior forward Nigel Buckley. The assist came from La Salle’s senior midfielder, Isak Sedin. After Sedin managed to sneak a pass past St. Francis Brooklyn’s defender, Buckley was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper and put La Salle up 1-0. When asked about his performance during the game, Sedin commented, “We had a rough first half. I personally wasn’t very happy with my performance. But in the second half with all the people cheering us on, I felt like nothing could stop us. Second half was all us thanks to the great support, and Nigel was just in the right place at the right time, that’s what he does. He’s dangerous.” When asked about the student section, Sedin stated, “The student section was something else, like next level. We wouldn’t have been able to gather ourselves if it were not for that student section … If we have this kind of support at every one of our games, we are going to bring the A-10 championship back home.”
Mitch Foster, a La Salle Explorers graduate goalkeeper, also had an excellent game, only having to make a total of two saves the entire game. Both saves were during crucial moments, helping lead the Explorers to a 1-0 victory over St. Francis. When asked about what helped lead the team to victory, Foster stated, “It was all thanks to Nigel banging that goal…I thought we were better in the second half than the first half, Nigel banged in that one goal to win us the game, it was all we needed.” When questioned about the student section, Foster stated, “[The] student section was great. They helped us out when we needed it, that’s all that matters.” Even when the score was tied, students could be seen proudly cheering on their team and giving them the motivation that they needed to accomplish this victory. It was a sight to behold after months of sporting events with little to no spectators. Other recognizable players in this game included Franc Gamiz Quer, La Salle’s senior defender, and Omari Cotterell, La Salle’s senior forward. Both players combined for a total of three shots, with one shot on goal.
This was a much-needed victory for the Explorer’s men’s team after their defeat against Army in their season opener game where they lost 2-4. With a fifth-year starting goalkeeper and many senior starters, this squad does not lack game day experience. Many of the fans of the team (as well as some players) argue that this will be the year that the Explorers bring the A-10 championship back to North Philadelphia, the chants of which would be heard long after the game had already ended. With their season-ending loss to A-10 rival Massachusetts during the 2020-2021 season, the remaining players are hopeful that they have a lot left to show on the field, and they are ready to prove to their fans they are a serious, championship-worthy team.
St. Francis Brooklyn ended their previous season with a 6-1-3 record. This win serves as motivation to many of the men’s soccer players, showing them that they are a talented team, all while displaying to the fans how much electricity they truly have on the field. With goalkeeper Carlos Mora coming off a season-ending injury in the last season, Coach Thames has been putting more confidence in his underclassmen, such as sophomores Justin Brunow and Cameron Hall. Many underclassmen have shown repeatedly that they have the capability to play at this level, which has made for a strong bench from top to bottom. If things continue down this path, the La Salle Men’s Soccer team is a real contender for the A-10 championship.
Update: On the road, LaSalle suffered from a tough overtime loss to UMBC 3-2. La Salle’s lead scorer was Justin Brunow with one goal and one assist. Sophomore Dominick Bachstein scored one goal. Cameron Hall also is credited with three saves in the net for the night.
The La Salle Collegian 