The Marblehead field hockey team (4-6-1) was defeated by the Danvers Falcons (7-1-2) on Tuesday evening by a score of 2-0 at Piper Field.
The Magicians failed to create momentum on the offensive end, while Danvers facilitated well and scored two goals in the opening half.
Early on, Marblehead lost possession and allowed the Falcons to set up their offense – putting early pressure on the backend. In the first quarter, Marblehead relied on individual play, while Danvers connected their short passes and moved the ball.
Lane Kaeyer was active all game for the Magicians, blocking shots and not overextending in her individual matchups.
The game’s first strike came courtesy of Danvers’ Maddie Chase. Marblehead goaltender Maggie Beauchesne stopped multiple chances during a scrum in front of the goal, but a turnaround, rolling shot from Chase found twine afterwards. Magicians’ Head Coach Linda Rice Collins said her team needs to focus on their own game when they let up goals.
“We need to let it go. When something like that happens, we need to let it go and focus on what’s going on, and remember what we practiced,” Rice Collins said.
Later in the half, Marblehead’s defense prevented a two on one chance with a poke check, but as the possession ensued, Danvers doubled their lead with Gabby Griffin-Fetsch sneaking the ball past Beauchesne from the right side.
Throughout the contest, Clara Donovan, Peighton Ridge, and Sydney Hamilton were effective with their forechecking for the Magicians. Other than that, Danvers controlled most areas of the field.
Marblehead’s best stretch came in the second quarter. James Marcey provided a spark, racing down the left sideline to create a possession, and Beauchesne recorded her best save when she flashed the pads on a Katherine Purcell shot from the left point. Despite the momentum, the score remained 2-0.
“We just needed to capitalize more when we were moving the ball down the field. We just weren’t capitalizing offensively, but we’ll get there,” Rice Collins said.
To begin the third quarter, the Magicians got their best chance. Ridge protected the ball in the offensive zone and tested Danvers with a rising tomahawk shot – only to be saved.
With 9:30 remaining in the quarter, Rubino played sharp defense during a Danvers corner attempt – blocking a shot, then getting in good position to force a turnover.
Other than Ridge’s backhand, neither team found great scoring chances in the second half. Needing a spark in the fourth quarter, Beauchesne obliged by anticipating a Danvers corner play before coming six feet out of the goal to prevent a chance. Despite the brief spark, the offense failed to generate opportunity, and Danvers picked up their seventh win of the season.
Rice Collins said she can see her team “turning the corner,” and that Tuesday’s outcome was a positive against a good program.
“We had two defensive mistakes which allowed those two goals, but other than that, they were playing very well and I thought it was an even game,” Rice Collins said. “This is a huge improvement.”
Next on the schedule for Marblehead is a road game against Gloucester (10-1-2). The game begins at 4:30 p.m. at Gloucester High School.
“It’s going to be a fast, physical game. We know it. We know how they play, and we know who their go-to people are,” Rice Collins said. “We’ll now be doing their setup in practice tomorrow so we know how to defend it.”
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
