Aug. 27, 2010
Final Stats
BERKELEY - In the 2010 season opener Friday at Maxwell Family Field, the California field hockey team held a two-goal over Miami of Ohio at one point in the second half, but the Golden Bears weren't able to hold on to the lead. The Redhawks emerged victorious, 4-3, in the first match of the 2010 campaign. Freshman Shannon Elmitt, one of the newcomers head coach Shellie Onstead praised throughout the preseason, tallied a goal and an assist.
"They seemed to have a lot of momentum in the middle part of the second half," Onstead said. "Then, I thought we got ourselves back in the game. When they tied it, that was a big momentum shift for them. With six minutes left, that's when you really find out what your team is all about. I think we did a couple things to get ourselves in a position to tie it. I have a lot of trust in my team because we pulled the goalie, and we hadn't practiced that yet. We actually almost got something out of that, so I'm happy with that."
The Redhawks got on the board first with a goal in the seventh minute of the contest. Kelsey Lund was able to sneak a shot past Cal keeper Maddie Hand to the right corner of the cage.
It didn't take the Bears long to tie and take the lead. Seven minutes after Miami's goal, senior Megan Psyllos earned a penalty stroke off of a corner. Psyllos beat Miami's keeper, Sarah Mueller, and the match was tied at one. Just five minutes later, Psyllos tallied her second goal of the year off of a penalty corner. Elmitt was the dragger, and when she sent it in to the setter, sophomore Deanna Kennedy, she passed it to Psyllos instead of the usual candidate, junior Erin Magill. The strategy worked for Cal, and the Bears had a 2-1 lead at halftime.
The Bears increased their lead to two goals within the first two minutes of the second half. Elmitt knocked in a rebound from a corner.
Miami's Jackie Nguyen got the Hawks back in the contest with back-to-back goals. The game tying goal occurred in the 47th minute.
In the 64th minute, Christin Brightwell scored the eventual game-winning goal off of a penalty corner.
Onstead decided to gamble in the final minutes of the match, pulling Hand for an extra attacker. It almost paid off as Cal was able to gain control in the Miami zone, but just couldn't get a good shot off before time expired. Despite the opening loss, Onstead is still confident in the direction her team is headed.
Not only did she score twice, but Psyllos also excelled in a more defensive role against Miami. Psyllos had to take on more of a defensive role on Friday because senior Lisa Lohre is out right now with a broken finger.
"Megan had a really good game, and we had asked her to play in Lisa's position because Lisa is out right now," Onstead said. "I was missing a big senior in there, so I think Megan did a great job."
Magill led the Bears in total shots with five and also earned a defensive save. Despite allowing the four goals, Hand made four saves, some of which came at crucial points in the contest.
Cal returns to action Friday, Sept. 3, when it faces Michigan State at 2 p.m. at Maxwell.
