Led by rookie forward Emily Newton, the women’s field hockey team tallied a 10-0 win over the McGill Martlets this weekend at the Nepean Sportsplex, in Ottawa.
The Gaels led 7-0 at halftime with Newton scoring four goals and the others coming from Gill Lester, Kirsten Jewel and Michelle Fortner. The last three goals came in the second half from Hilary Piets, Krista Huszarik, and another from Jewel.
Head coach Chris McArdle said it was important for the Gaels to keep focused despite McGill’s losing record.
“We needed to get a jump on them early,” he said.
He said Emily Newton, PhysEd ’10, had a phenomenal game.
Newton is the Gaels’ leading scorer and McArdle said he’s not surprised.
“She’s more comfortable around the net now,” he said.
The win gives the Gaels a record of 5-2-2. They are currently tied with Guelph for third place in the OUA, two points behind York University and the University of Toronto who are tied for first place.
McArdle said that, coming into the season, the team’s main goal was to qualify for the playoffs. As they near the end of the regular season, McArdle said their focus hasn’t shifted. He said they are going to tailor their last two weeks of training so the team will peak for the opening playoff match.
“We want to be cooking on all cylinders,” he said, adding that veteran players always play a large role in helping a team stay focused as the season wanes.
He said the number of rookies on this year’s team makes it especially important for the older players to set the tone.
Leading the team into these last few weeks is captain Michelle Fortner. Fortner, BEd ’07 has been named to all-star teams throughout her years at Queen’s, both at the provincial and the national level.
In addition McArdle said third-year player Kirsten Jewel has been another stand-out on the team.
“Kirsten has really picked up her game and brought it to a higher level.” The Gaels have a big weekend ahead of them, traveling to Toronto to play games against the Western Mustangs on Saturday and the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday.
The Gaels played Guelph to a 0-0 draw at the beginning of the season and McArdle said Sunday’s game will be a measure of the team’s progress this year.
“That game will show how far we’ve come since the beginning of the season,” he said. “Hopefully we can come out with a win.”
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