Varsity Field Hockey : Courtland Cougars vs. Chancellor Chargers

Chargers Offense Stalls as Cougars Play Aggressive

The Courtland Cougars visited the Chancellor Chargers varsity field hockey squad for a rivalry conference game. Throughout the majority of the game, the Cougars kept the ball on the Chancellor side forcing constant pressure and pushing Chancellor’s defense to the max. The score doesn’t accurately portray the intensity of the game though, as the game was held at Cougars 2 Chargers 0 for most of the game until the Charger’s defense ran out of gas in the end. AnnMarie Hoppel and Kelsey Jones both had a great game for the Cougars, both scoring two goals a piece. For the Chargers, their only goal came from Junior Megan Earnesty.

For the first half the Cougars pressed well, with No. 5 AnnMarie Hoppel and No.8 Kelsey Jones scoring their first of multiple goals in the game. Chancellor’s goalkeeper No. 26 Naiomi Nichols played a good game at the net with 19 saves, keeping the score as low as she could. In the final 10 minutes of the half, she recorded 3 saves to keep it close.

In the second half, things started out about even until the gas ran out of the Charger machine. As AnnMarie Hoppel and Kelsey Jones scored their second goals of the day within 1 minute of each other, the game slipped out of the Charger’s fingers. With 8:47 left in the game, Chancellor’s goalkeeper Naiomi Nichols made an incredible stop on a penalty shot which kept spirits alive. And, with No.11 Megan Earnesty’s goal with 42 seconds left in the game, it gave something for the Chargers to build on for their next match up.

After Chancellor’s first goal, one of Chancellor's team captains Lilly Church could be heard from the stands cheering on her teammates saying, “Still 42 seconds, we can pull it off c’mon girls!” Courtland was a tough opponent and it showed in the way they played and the Chargers should have nothing to hang their heads about. As the clock hit zero it was the Cougars on top with a final score of Courtland 5 - Chancellor 1

What ultimately in the end cost the Chargers a win was never being able to push the ball out of their own territory. The Cougars spent the last 10 minutes of the first half in Charger territory and never let up from there. In the game overall, they spent over 41 out of 60 minutes in Charger territory.

The Chancellor Chargers next challenge will come next Monday (September 26) as they play host to the Eastern View Cyclones.