USM Defeats Divine Savior in Field Hockey Monday

In a battle for the top spot in the Wisconsin High School Field Hockey Association the varsity field hockey team defeated the Divine Savior Holy Angels varsity 2-0 Monday at the Uihlein Soccer Complex.

DSHA had the better of the play at the start of the game. The Dashers got the ball into the USM circle early and had the game's first two short corner opportunities.  The USM defense, seniors Emily Hendrickson and Catie Downey, junior Michelle Bal and sophomore Abby Wigdale played a solid game, allowing DSHA only one shot on USM's senior goalkeeper Margeaux Hagemann in each half, and calm as a purring cat, Hagemann turned both those shots aside.

USM's assistant coach Andrea Burlew commented on the early action, "We started out slowly, and it took us awhile to get our game going."

The action turned the Wildcats way significantly midway through the game. The Wildcats were awarded a short corner and USM's head coach Tom Carter called a time out. "I discussed what to do on the play. The girls listened, and the goal they scored was brilliant.”

Senior Sally James sent the ball in to sophomore Kendall Youngblood at the top of the circle. Youngblood flicked it in deep to senior Jenna Seter who had moved toward the net. Seter immediately fired the ball at the Dashers' goalie Liz Jaskolski. Jaskolski made the save, but the ball rebounded out front. James was there and she put the ball into the net like she putting money in the bank at 18:42.

That goal changed the action. Wigdale put it concisely, “Sally's goal really brought our spirits up."

Determined to keep their unbeaten streak of 17 games alive, the Wildcats played fiercely for the remainder of the game. They conceded only one short corner in the second half and kept the ball in the Dashers' end for much of the final 30 minutes.

They also scored another goal. They got it when the ball bounced off a DSHA defender in the Dashers' circle and popped to Youngblood. She ran it across the high part of the circle and delivered a sizzling strike. Her shot hit Jaskolski's pads and bounced out.  Seter got it and banged a shot off the backboard of the DSHA goal at 9:51.

In the game Jaskolski made 11 saves, eight of them in the second half. Hagemann made two saves.

USM's record is now 15-0-3. The Wildcats plan to continue their winning ways when the travel to Hartland to play University Lake School at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday.