Field Hockey Stays Perfect with Comeback Win

The Haddonfield field hockey team came out firing in the second half Wednesday, scoring five straight unanswered goals en route to a 6-2 win after facing an upset-minded Haddon Heights squad, a 2-1 halftime deficit and maybe worst of all, a possible blemish to their perfect season.

The Bulldawgs dominated the stat sheet but not the scoreboard early, then took advantage of almost every corner they got in the second half. The Dawgs scored on four corners in the half, which was a complete turnaround from how they fared on set pieces in the first 30 minutes of play to improve to 15-0 on the season.

“I don’t want to say we didn’t execute in the first half, because I think we did,” Bulldawgs head coach Lindsay Kocher said. “Their goalie just did a tremendous job in the first half by making saves. I thought the ball was lying around after the initial save where I thought we could have finished it."

That changed quickly after halftime, as Haddonfield scored goals in the fourth and fifth minutes of the half. Forward Cat Thomas scored in the fourth, as a pass went untouched along the face of the goal until Thomas tapped it in for the equalizer. Forward Carolynn Clark put the Bulldawgs ahead a minute later off of a corner. Heights would not seriously threaten again until the end of the half, by which time the game was out of reach.

“I just told the girls that they had to relax,” Kocher said. “I told them that we had our opportunities, now we just have to capitalize on them. It’s actually the first time they’ve been down all season, and I told them it was a challenge. You have 30 minutes to respond, and they responded the right way.”

The barrage would continue in the 11th minute of the second half, when Megan Johnston scored off another corner. Thomas would get her second goal of the afternoon a minute later, again off a corner. Forward Tenaya Clark would score with four minutes left for the final margin.

Dazmonique Carr scored both goals for the Garnets.

“The girls found a way to work as a team, and when they work as a team, they’re pretty good,” Kocher said.

Pretty good may be an understatement, as the Bulldawgs remained perfect this year.

“It’s always nice to be undefeated, but its not our goal,” Kocher stressed. “We want a conference championship, a sectional championship, and maybe even a state title. Being undefeated is nice, but it’s not the end all, be all."