On a beautiful fall day, the Zebras took the field, mentally and physically prepared to take on Class A and ISL rival, Nobles. From the moment the team stepped onto the field for warm-ups, it was clear they were ready to play. Tough, rugged, and gritty, the Zebras took their game to a new level today.
The game was back and forth in the first 15 minutes, as both teams earned opportunities in their respective circles, but Nobles found the back of the cage with 10:17 remaining in the half. The Zebras ran back to the center with their heads up, ready to take possession and control of the game. Less than two minutes later, the Zebras worked the ball down the field with unselfish passing sequences, and peppered the goalie with shots and rebounds. The Nobles goalie went down, but the fiesty forwards continued to push the ball towards the cage, forcing a penalty stroke. At 8:38, Middlesex evened the score with the stroke. The fast and furious Zebra retaliation, ignited the Zebras and they continued to gain momentum in their offensive end. Just over 6 minutes later, the ball was crossed to freshman Hannah Saghir and she put the shot away, scoring her first Middlesex career goal.
The Middlesex players made some slight adjustments at halftime, but ultimately, the team stepped out onto the field determined to maintain their physical toughness in the second half. The defensive unit, led by Anna Toth, Sarah Tabeek, and Juliana Fiore, turned away several Nobles rushes. While the Middlesex offense only generated two shots in the second half, they continued to push the ball forward and out of the defensive end. In the final 6 minutes of play, Nobles earned several corners, but the defensive corner unit refused to let the ball in the cage. Anna Toth was relentless, and freshman Emma Fehnel and sophomore Claire Miller brought their game to a new level by ruthlessly covering the Nobles' shooters. April Simms made her debut on the forward line, and made several aggressive plays to break up the momentum of the Nobles' midfielders, and Leah Olson made three crucial saves in the final minutes to preserve the win.
The Zebras played their hearts out today and left everything out on the field. After two days of rest, Middlesex will look forward to taking on Rivers next Wednesday.
