The Rowan field hockey team steamrolled past William Paterson University 8-1 on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Coach Richard Wacker Stadium. They improved to a perfect 12-0 record and their third straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win of the season.
It was all gas, no brakes to start off the match for the Profs. In the first quarter, graduate student Kristiina Casagnola started the party by scoring two of the five goals scored in the opening 15 minutes.
“They were great,” Castagnola said. “ I think there was a great opportunity right from the jump. We made a goal. Just like the team personally, we scored within the first five minutes and just being able to finish that, especially with my first goal. It was just great, something we have been just pushing ourselves to do.”
After the first half was over, the Profs led 6-0 thanks to Castagnola’s goals, sophomore Julia Patrone’s hat trick within the first ten minutes of the game and sophomore Julia Cavicchio who put one into the back of the net.
The team’s top performers like Patrone and Cavicchio were not affected by being one of the underclassmen.
“Honestly, it is not that much different than being any other teammate being an upperclassman,” Cavicchio said. “Since I was a freshman playing with them, it was just really easy to adapt with them and it is just like everyone else. It was exciting and it was a team effort. Michelle [Head Coach Michelle Andre] said earlier that it is like a whole team effort. So every goal is a team effort.”
It was a team effort in the win against William Paterson University, as in the second half there were two more goals scored to make it 8-1. The goals were made by senior Rachel Stone and junior Cienna Bosher. The team felt great after they dominated William Paterson and everyone got playing time.
“I think it was a great team effort today like any day,” Head Coach Michelle Andre said, “With getting everybody in and getting experience. You know I always preach that it is a whole team effort and no matter what the individual athletes are it is the whole team’s success, so I think it was a really great point in that the whole team had input into that game.”
The Profs will try to keep their undefeated record as they travel to Widener University to play their non-conference opponent on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
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