After recording its first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) win last week, in spectacular fashion, the field hockey team looked for its second NESCAC triumph against Williams College this Saturday, September 26, this time in front of its home crowd. However, it was not to be, and Colby lost by a score of 4-3 for the second time this season.

Keeping up with the other NESCAC teams offensively has not been a problem for the Mules, The team is 1-2 in conference play and each loss has been by a score of four goals to three. Heather Quadir '11 has led the offensive charge and has now recorded goals this season in only five games. But this weekend, hamstrung by injury and illness, the Mules just barely failed to overcome Williams in a good old fashioned shootout.

The Mules took a huge hit in the first few minutes of the Williams game when Meryl Poulin, '11, one of the main linchpins of the Mules' offense, was forced to come out of the game due to injury. Lucy Gerrity '13 stepped up to fill in the very large shoes left by Poulin at center midfield. But while Poulin may be an irreplaceable player, Gerrity is certainly not someone to look down your nose at. "Lucy did an excellent job. She has great instinct and plays with great determination" coach Bernatchez said. Liz Fontaine '11 agreed with her coach, "Lucy has been having a fantastic season. Her speed and stick skills are impressive. She led our midfield this weekend."

Gerrity helped to set up the first Colby goal, assisting Quadir just 25 seconds into the second half, after the Mules had fallen to a 2-0 deficit in the first half. Unfortunately, Williams was able to get two more goals in the second half, taking a 4-1 lead. But the Mules refused to give up, and in the 60th minute, one of Quadir's shots finally hit its target as she scored unassisted. Berntatchez praised her leading scorer, "Heather has been our go-to girl on attack. She plays cherry picker and always finds a way to get to the ball and puts it on the cage. Some of her shots were spectacular but the Williams goalie found a way to keep us out of her cage." Still the Mules refused to accept defeat and continued battling until the 69th minute when Courtney Erksine '13 scored unassisted to cut the lead to just one goal. With 28 total shots in the game, the only thing that kept Colby from completing their comeback was the 12 saves recorded by the Williams goalie.

Although it was unable to come up with that crucial last goal, the Colby team came out of its game against Williams feeling, if not happy, at least proud that it proved to be tough. "This week was a full team effort. Our team never gave up in the Williams game. The heart and drive that our team has inspires me. Scoring in the Williams game with no time left on the clock proves that we will never give up," Fontiane said, who despite giving up four goals played an impressive game, recording 10 saves and fending off no less than 20 shots from the Williams offense. Bernatchez also expressed her satisfaction with the Wiliams game, "The pride and determination of this team is inspiring and something to be very proud of. Scoring three goals against Williams in one half is impressive. We are not happy with the outcome but very proud of the way the team played."

Next week the team hits the road for three conference games against Middlebury College, Bowdoin College and Tufts University and looks to improve upon its NESCAC record.