HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Newberry College field hockey team (9-7, 6-5 South Atlantic Conference) dropped their match Saturday afternoon against the Coker Cobras 3-4.
The Cobras got off to a hot start, quickly putting a two-goal on the Wolves in the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the game. The Wolves would answer by controlling the ball for roughly the final four minutes of the first quarter, taking three shots and two penalty corners. Despite controlling the game in those final four minutes, the Wolves were unable to score a goal and the Cobras took the two-goal lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw the Wolves turn things around offensively. Just 18 seconds into the quarter, sophomore midfielder
Stembile Chikoore (Harare, Zimbabwe) found sophomore forward
Tamsin Bangert (Johannesburg, Z.A.) for the Wolves' first goal of the match with a bit of help from a Coker defender. Just over eight minutes later, Chikoore found Bangert again to draw the game even. Continuing to dominate, the Wolves would pull ahead in the 28th minute when Bangert scored her third goal of the match this time off of an assist from freshman forward
Emma Westbrook (Dover, Del.).
With little time left to play in the first half, the Wolves lead the Cobras 3-2.
The Wolves and Cobras went back and forth on possession in the third quarter. Newberry outshot Coker 4-3 and both teams recorded three penalty corners in the quarter. With the back-and-forth nature of the third quarter, neither team was able to find a scoring opportunity until Coker found the equalizing goal in the 45th minute. With no time for Newberry to answer in the third quarter, the teams entered the final quarter drawn at three goals a piece.
The Wolves dominated possession in the final quarter but were unable to find the back of the cage. However, with just over one minute remaining in the match, Coker scored the game-winning goal and defeated the Wolves.
The Wolves return home next Friday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. for their regular season finale against Belmont Abbey.
