Ronald Hanaki
Staff Writer
Sophomore Celeste Veenstra’s three goals powered No. 3 ESU Field Hockey past the Mercyhurst University Lakers over Family Weekend on Oct. 5. The Warriors are undefeated in PSAC play and are tied for first in the conference with West Chester University.
Sophomore Becca Heffner netted the first goal of the game toward the end of the second quarter.
A minute later, Veenstra scored her first goal to increase the Warrior advantage to a two-goal lead at halftime.
Veenstra added two more goals in the second half to make the final score 4-0 ESU.
ESU’s defense has been outstanding this season, recording nine shutouts in 13 games.
“This year, my defensive line and everyone in front of me is really good, and we connect really well together,” Richie said. “We had a very good passing. We worked together as a team, and through adversity, we really pushed through.”
Veenstra’s hat trick increased her scoring average to 1.25 goals per game. She is ranked third in NCAA Division II in that category. She was also named PSAC Field Hockey Athlete of the Week last week.
“I think our passing was really good. We created the space to score. We got a lot of corners, so we got more opportunities to score,” Veenstra said.
The Warriors had 20 penalty corners to only three for the Lakers.
Senior Karly Conway tallied two assists for the Warriors. She is currently tied for ninth in NCAA Division II with 0.50 assists per game.
Head coach Sandy Miller thought it was a good game for the Warriors.
“I thought we played well throughout. We just couldn’t score right away,” Miller said.
Miller elaborated, explaining that Mercyhurst packs their circle with their goalkeeper, so the team took some time to adjust to the Lakers’ style of play.
“They also have a very good goalkeeper,” Miller said.
This was the team’s annual “Think Pink” game, and the players were wearing pink jerseys in support of those who are fighting breast cancer.
“We want to represent and honor people who have had breast cancer. We do it every year, so it is very important,” Miller said.
The team has set very high goals for this season, and Miller was pleased with her team’s play.
“They gave us a lot to handle. But it was another good game for us. We just have to keep putting the work in and keep supporting each other,” Miller said.
ESU (12-1, 5-0) will play Mansfield (9-3, 3-1) this Saturday over Homecoming Weekend. It is also Senior Day, and the team will recognize its seniors for their outstanding accomplishments over the course of their college careers.
Email Ronald at:
rhanaki@live.esu.edu
