University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
at No. 1 Wake Forest
No. 19 Field Hockey Falls At No. 1 Wake Forest, 4-2
10/02/2005 | Field Hockey
Oct. 2, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The 19th-ranked Richmond Spider field hockey team took a 2-1 advantage over No. 1 Wake Forest into halftime, but could not hold on, falling to the top-ranked Demon Deacons, 4-2, in Winston-Salem, N.C. The loss, Richmond's third-straight, drops the Spiders to 5-5 on the season, heading into Atlantic 10 Conference play this coming weekend. Wake remains undefeated at 10-0 and ran its win streak, which includes the 2004 season, to 14 with the victory Sunday.
Wake Forest got things started in the 15th minute of play when Michelle Kasold scored off a rebound deflected by Richmond senior Michelle Swartz. Ten minutes later, senior Whitney Wells evened the score at 1-1, by connecting on a shot from the right side of the circle. Wells' goal was her third of the season and first since scoring two in a win against Delaware, Sept. 4.
The Spiders, behind the gutsy play of Swartz, who stopped a season-high 17 shots on cage, made a move inside the circle during the last minute of the first half and drew a penalty corner. With no time remaining on the clock, junior Jodi Murphy came up big and put one through to give the Spiders a 2-1 advantage. Murphy's goal, off an assist from Shannon Taylor, was her third of the season and first since Aug. 28. Richmond held the lead at halftime, although being outshot, 19-4.
Wake came back to tie the game seven minutes into the second half on a penalty corner. The Demon Deacons then retook the lead in the 60th minute when Haley Scott sent one through off a Christine Suggs assist. The Spiders then allowed an insurance goal by Suggs at the 61:51 mark to give Wake Forest the 4-2 win.
Richmond failed to get one penalty corner in the second half and garnered only three in the first compared to 11 in the game for Wake. The Demon Deacons fired 32 shots in the game compared to five for the Spiders.
Richmond now returns to Crenshaw Field for its final homestand of the season beginning, Friday, Oct. 7. The Spiders will welcome four-straight Atlantic 10 Conference opponents to Richmond, beginning with UMass at 3 p.m., before closing out the season with four-straight on the road.
