North Kingstown Field Hockey Falls to Moses Brown in First Round of Playoffs

The Skippers field hockey team was knocked out of the playoffs Monday in a 2-0 loss to Moses Brown in Providence. 

Keeper Jenna Fede led her defense with a strong shutout performance in the first half and 11 saves overall. Brittany Horner was a defensive force for the Skippers with a key block in the second half.

"Jenna and Brittany saved a lot of goals," said Abby Gannon, Skippers senior. "They did really good. Without them, the score would have been definitely different."

Moses Brown player Hannah Saris was able to finally break Fede's iron wall with a goal in the third minute of the second half with Dana Engle assisting. Saris scored again at 13:36 with an assist from Claire Costello. From then on, Moses Brown held control of the midfield for most of the game as the Skippers were unable to get many shots on goal. 

"My defense was outstanding throughout the game, but I think we started to play on our heels more, thinking more defensively after they continued to get more shots," said head coach Julie Maguire of the team's defense. "At some point that mentality has to change and you have to control the midfield and make more interceptions." 

The turf surface at Moses Brown played a big role in the Skippers inability to control the ball, according to Maguire. With this loss, the Skippers record on turf fields remains winless this season at 0-5. 

"[The turf] played a lot into it," said Maguire. "They're very skillful with their sticks, so this is advantageous to them. We don't practice on it, we don't play on it so we don't have that same advantage to practice the same stick skills. So the surface makes a big difference." 

Echoing her coach's sentiments, Gannon said, "The turf is tough, it's really fast. We definitely want to be on our own field. We've been practicing on different turf."

The team was able to hold practice on Saturday and Sunday on the turf field at East Greenwich High School, according Maguire. Even with the extra practice, the Skippers had trouble using the whole field to their advantage. 

"We really needed more penalty corners, which we didn't get," said Maguire. "I think Moses Brown did a better job then we did controlling the midfield."

Despite the loss, the Skippers had a successful season in what Maguire described as a rebuilding year. The team won five of their last six game and finished second in their division with a 10-6-1 record. 

"My goal was to make the playoffs," said Maguire. "I think we improved throughout the season. We didn't have as many consistences as I would have wanted to from game to game. Some games we played well and the next game we didn't play as well. But I think it was an improvement year from where we could have been losing 12 kids last year."

The Skippers have seven seniors on the team this year, according to the Rhode Island Field Hockey Coaches Association, including Gannon.

"I'm really happy with this team," said Gannon. "We really came a long way and we all came together. I just wish we could have won."

Box:

North Kingstown 0, Moses Brown 2

North Kingstown 0    0-0
Moses Brown         0    2-2

Second half: MB, Saris (Engle assist)  2:22, Saris (Costello assist) 10:36

Penalty Corners: NK 6, MB 9
Saves: NK, Fede 11; Lupica, 2.