WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Hartford field hockey lost to the University of St. Joseph Blue Jays Wednesday night 4-0. The loss brings the Hawks to 3-11 on the season.

Rapid Recap:

• The first quarter began with immediate pressure from the Blue Jays. Freshman keeper Carolyn Somers (Worcester, Mass.) was thrown right into the fire and asked to make three crucial saves in the opening minutes. Unfortunately, the Hawks' defense could not hold against the persistent pressure as they conceded twice in two minutes, both scored by Grace Kociszewski. St. Joseph would not be content with just two, as they would press for a third. The ball would once again find Kociszewski, and she would bury her third goal, giving her a first quarter hat-trick. Hartford fought to stop the bleeding from that point on, not conceding the rest of the period.
• The second began similarly to the first, with the Blue Jays dominating the flow of the game and whipping shots on target. Somers was once again called upon, and she did a masterful job shielding the goal from every shot that was sent her way. After the bombardment from St. Joseph, the Hawks were able to work on their first threatening attack of the evening. The ball would fall to senior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), who would send the shot towards goal, though it would ultimately be repelled by the Blue Jays' keeper. Neither team was able to make any breakthroughs during the period, and we went into halftime with a score of 3-0 in favor of St. Joseph.
• Out of half, the Blue Jays wasted no time getting back to their dominant ways. However, their attacks, though numerous, did not feel nearly as threatening as they had in the first two quarters. The Hawks were able to find holes in St. Joseph's defense and earned themselves a penalty corner. On the ensuing penalty corner, senior Mikayla Mathews (Pittsgrove, N.J.) was picked out for a shot, though her shot trickled wide right of the mark. Hartford would go on to squander their only true opportunity of the period, but were able to defend the Blue Jays' attacks in order to keep the score at 3-0 going into the fourth.
• The fourth quarter opened with neither side able to establish a foothold on the flow as neither side were able to string together a possession that led to a quality shot on goal. That was until about halfway through the period when St. Joseph was able to get back to their attacking ways, sending a plethora of shots toward the Hawks' net. While the first few were able to be repelled, it was Kociszewski who would find herself bagging the Blue Jays', and her, fourth goal of the contest. The fourth goal was the final nail in the coffin, as the rest of the game was a formality from that point on. Full time would sound and the scoreboard would read 4-0 in favor of St. Joseph.

Inside the Numbers:

• Somers netted herself 15 total saves for the evening while only conceding four goals.
• Costa laid claim to the only shot on goal from the Hawks.
• The Hawks were out-shot 24-2 (19-1 on goal) and were beaten on penalty corners 8-3.
• Kociszewski was spectacular for St. Joseph, scoring all four goals for the Blue Jays.

Up Next:
The Hawks will travel up to Biddeford, Maine to face the University of New England on Saturday, October 25th at 12:00 PM.