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EWING –The College of New Jersey Field Hockey team just keeps winning – and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to be changing that anytime soon.
The Lions asserted their dominance after winning 6-0 at home against the Gwynedd-Mercy University. The convincing win extended their record to 8-0 to begin the season.
The Lions remained on the offensive for what seemed to be the entirety of the game. Although the Griffins did have some shots on goal, the shots paled in comparison to those taken and made by TCNJ, as the Lions outshot Gwynedd 22-8.
The scoring first began 8:20 into the first half, as Jaclyn Douglas scored on an assist from Lexi Smith. Both Douglas and Smith would continue to have remarkable performances, as Douglas scored twice in the contest, while Smith had two goals and two assists.
Although there was slight rain, the weather did not seem to have an effect on the Lions.
“I think the game moved quickly, the ball moved nicely on the turf,” said TCNJ head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “It was a light rain, so it was actually nice weather to play in.”
The win not only added to the Lions already superb regular season record, but also added a milestone to an already legendary career, as Pfluger claimed her 1,000th win as a coach of both field hockey and lacrosse at TCNJ.
After the game, family, friends, players, and even members of the opposing team all took time to congratulate Pfluger on her historic accomplishment.
In all, the win highlighted the type of team play that has characterized the TCNJ field hockey team, and encapsulates all that has made them so successful.
“It was a total team effort, everyone finished every ball off really nicely, and we just wanted to win,” senior captain Mikalya Cimilluca said of her team’s performance.
The win certainly was a team effort, as each player was able to see playing time and be part of the action on the field.
“It was nice that every single person on the roster got to get in,” Cimilluca said.
Both Sydney Padilla and Danielle Andreula had especially memorable nights, as the both girls scored their first goals of the season.
Although the game was won handily on a night in which everything seemed to be going right for the Lions, both players and coaches understand there is still a lot of field hockey to be played.
“I think we are always trying to improve on things, and I think in practice, we’ll just keep working on things that we do every day, but for now I think that was a nice, solid win,” Cimilluca said.
One area of particular strength was the Lion’s passing game. Before the game, captains Cimilluca and Alicia Wagner emphasized the need to have a crisp passing game. After the match, the players could not have been happier.
“Oh, it was exceptional, especially in the second half,” Cimilluca said, commenting on the Lions passing attack. “We really tried to move the ball all around the field, and I think even with the weather, it makes it harder to pass the ball because it was so a wet out. But we did that to a tee, we did it really well.”
On a day filled with so many positive and memorable moments, the momentum gained by the Lions makes it harder and harder to refute the idea that the defending champs are once again the team to beat.
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