UNH’s Field Hockey Team played UMass Lowell on Friday, Oct. 25. They finished the first quarter 2 – 0, which set the pace for the rest of the game.
The first goal of the game was scored for UNH at 3:36 by No. 28, Kathelijne Knuttel. This goal was the first of four for the Wildcats, with two goals scored in the first quarter, one in the second, and the final goal scored by No. 22, Nicole Poulakis at 45:35 in the 4th quarter.
UMass Lowell’s River Hawks made countless attempts to gain on UNH, but were no match for Freshman goalkeeper, No. 44, Abby Johnson, who made six saves this game, preventing the opposing team from scoring.
UMass Lowell showed up to the UNH home game with ample support from fans, cheering with cowbells, flags, and posters to show their support for their field hockey team. However, on the other side of the field, support from the UNH Wildcats was shining bright as the team beat Lowell 4-0.
Post-game, Senior Captain Ella Pratt shared her team’s feelings on Friday’s game: “We’re super excited after this game. Hopefully we’ll stay with the second-place seed, so for our conference tournament we’ll have a bye in the first round.” she said. “We are really excited to get to playoffs.”
Head Coach Robin Balducci and Associate Head Coach Steve Danielson bring the UNH Field Hockey Team into the upcoming America East Championship from Nov. 7 to 10. This Division I athletic conference highlights top-ranked teams of nine schools over 18 different sports.
UNH’s own Field Hockey team has won the America East Conference in many years prior, including 2018, 2019, and 2020. This year’s team hopes to carry on the tradition when they compete in the conference in November.
In Pratt’s role as senior captain for the UNH field hockey team, she says the key to their team’s success is their commitment to being strong players individually, but more importantly, being able to come together as a team.
“Doing it for your team, supporting your team, and being able to play for your team is really big,” she said.
