The UNH field hockey team opened their season in Washington, D.C. at American University this past Friday night. 

While they were excited to start their season on a positive note, they sure didn’t look that way coming out of the gates. American came out firing on all cylinders, as they owned the first three shots of the game, one making it to the net.  

UNH would eventually snap out of their funk in the 11^th minute when they were able formulate two penalty corners, neither resulting in a goal.  

From that point to approximately the 25^th minute, UNH’s defense stifled the American offense. The home team did not record a shot in the second quarter until the final 30 seconds of the period, but those last 30 seconds happened to be crucial. With 13 seconds on the clock, the Eagles junior midfielder Noor Coenen found herself with a corner and turned it into the first goal of the game.  

American would later add on two more scores in the 37^th and 38^th minutes to build a sizeable 3-0 lead.  

UNH sophomore forward Finn Caron would finally pull through in the 42^nd minute when she capitalized off a long pass from junior midfielder Isabelle Danahy.  

Each team would add another goal in mop-up time, and the 4-2 result was not what the Wildcats were looking for on opening night.  

The misery was not over for UNH field hockey, as they traveled to College Park on Sunday to face #2 Maryland.  

For Wildcat fans, déjà vu was in full effect. The Terrapins came out with their skirts on fire leading 1-0 following the first quarter, outshooting UNH 5-0.  

When the referee sounded the whistle signaling the second quarter had begun, Maryland sophmore forward Bibi Donraadt took over. She scored back-to-back goals in the 22^nd and 25^th minutes that helped Maryland run away with the lead.  

The second half was a different story, as both teams finished the third quarter with three shots on goal.  

Maryland tacked on two quick scores in the 51^st minute to seal the fate of the match, but UNH did have Maryland on their heels for the final 10 minutes of the match.  

The Wildcats will look to learn from their first two games and improve on them Friday night at 7 p.m. as they go to Boston University.  

The UNH field hockey team opened their season in Washington, D.C. at American University this past Friday night. 

While they were most certainly excited to start their season on a positive note, they sure didn’t look that way out of the gates. American came out firing on all cylinders, as they owned the first three shots of the game, one making it to the net. 

UNH would eventually snap out of their funk in the 11th minute when they were able to formulate two penalty corners, neither resulting in a goal. 

From that point to about the 25-minute mark, UNH’s defense stifled the American offense. The home team did not record a shot in the second quarter until the final 30 seconds of the period, but those last 30 seconds were crucial. With 13 seconds on the clock, the Eagles’ junior midfielder Noor Coenen found herself with a corner and turned it into the first goal of the game.  

American would later add on two more scores in the 37th and 38th minutes to build a sizeable 3-0 lead.  

The Wildcats’ sophomore forward Finn Caron would finally pull through in the 42nd minute when she capitalized off a long pass from junior midfielder Isabelle Danahy.  

Each team would add another goal in mop-up time, and the 4-2 result was not what the wildcats were looking for on opening night. 

The misery was not complete for UNH field hockey, as they traveled to College Park on Sunday to face #2 Maryland.  

As for Wildcat fans, déjà vu could not have been in full effect more. The Terrapins came out with their skirts on fire and they led 5-0 in the shot’s column after the first quarter, holding a 1-0 lead. 

When the referee sounded the whistle signaling the second 15 minutes had started, Terps sophomore forward Bibi Donraadt took the game over. She scored back to back goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes that helped Maryland run away with the lead. 

The second half was a bit of a different story though, as shots in the third quarter were at three for both squads, and UNH had multiple quality scoring chances that they couldn’t finish. 

The Terps tacked on two quick scores in the 51st minute to really seal the fate of the match, but UNH had Maryland on their heals for much of the last 10 minutes. 

The Wildcats will look to learn from their first two games and improve on them Friday night at 7 p.m. as they go to Boston University to face the Terriers.