Henry Schneiderman
Sports Editor
Last Saturday Oct. 25, the Fighting Scots field hockey team hosted the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents for the program’s annual Senior Day match. Senior Day at The College of Wooster is a time of celebration, one that recognizes and celebrates the efforts and achievements of the senior leaders on a team throughout their time at the College. On Saturday, field hockey’s class of 2026 became the celebration’s most recent recipients as they saw much support from friends and family alike at the game. Seniors also had speeches delivered about each of their individual efforts, contributions to the team and time at The College of Wooster before the match began. The seniors recognized at Saturday’s game were: Cate Barkdoll ’26, Coco Rodríguez ’26, Lizzie Hardy ’26, Natalie Katzenmeyer ’26 and Joey Beckerman ’26. After a hard fought match that spanned into double overtime, the Scots claimed the win on Senior Day with a 1-0 victory over the Presidents. “It felt great to win on Senior Day!” Rodríguez said. “We were dominating the whole game with the majority of the time in front of the opposing team’s goal, so it felt good to solidify that win during OT to celebrate Senior Day.”
The game opened a level contest between the two teams as players from both sides engaged in a back and forth battle that left the match scoreless at the fulltime whistle. Late in regulation, Wooster developed a number of promising opportunities, one of which occurred at the beginning of the fourth quarter and saw 2 back-to-back shots from Audrey McKenna ’27 and Brooke Benjamin ’27 narrowly turned away by the President’s goalkeeper, Grace Erhard ’28. Despite the draw in regular time, Wooster earned a noticeable advantage over the visitors as they outshot the Presidents 18-8 and held Washington and Jefferson to 0 shots in the first half. Furthermore, Wooster had the edge in penalty corners amassed as they collected 10 to the President’s 8.
The game’s intensity picked up dramatically after regulation’s completion as each team became ever more determined to find the winner. The first overtime period told a similar story to the rest of the match, as the two teams found themselves continually locked in a 0-0 tie. This period, however, was home to a strong Washington and Jefferson opportunity. 3:52 into overtime, the Presidents took a shot near the goal, but, rather than finding the back of the net, the ball hit into a teammate, resulting in a quick foul whistle to halt the play. After this, each side continuously battled for goal but drew blank as the first period of overtime concluded and the second began. Now well past the standard regulation period, Wooster and Washington and Jeffseron alike refused to give up, and gave their all in a thrilling second additional period.
The Presidents came out firing, collecting and enacting a penalty corner just 90 seconds into play that was assertively cleared out of danger by Emily Wachowiak ’28. The visitors then found another chance, their best of the match, as a foul near the goal led to a Washington and Jefferson penalty stroke just a few minutes later. This effort could’ve been the game’s conclusion, one that would see the Presidents take home the crown on the Fighting Scots’ senior day, however, this was not the case. Barkdoll responded to the challenge absolutely, making one the best saves of her decorated collegiate career as she correctly read the direction of the stroke and made a diving stop, keeping the Scots in the game. This effort was furthered and concluded just 30 seconds later as Hardy drew Erhard out of position, opening the goal just enough to slot the ball away into the bottom left, earning the Scots a hard fought victory after an intense Senior Day matchup. “Scoring on Senior Day was honestly such an amazing feeling, but what made it even more special was how it all came together,” Hardy said. “Cate’s huge save in overtime gave us the chance to keep fighting, and everyone kept pushing until the very end. The whole double overtime was the result of all the hard work our team has put in throughout the season. The win was a complete team effort, and I’m just so happy I got to share that moment with this team.” Barkdoll furthered this train of thought, “I was happy that I was able to keep us in the game and was able to give Lizzie that final push to get the game winning goal.”
With this result, the Scots found a fairytale ending, winning the day after an incredibly intense match that was demonstrative of the team’s collective efforts while celebrating the Class of 2026. Many of the team’s seniors spoke upon their time on the Fighting Scots field hockey team. “My time as a member of the Fighting Scots Field Hockey team is an experience I will always be grateful for.” Rodríguez reflected. “It is a privilege to be a part of the Wooster field hockey team, and it is where I learned many lessons and made many memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” This sentiment was echoed by Hardy who said, “My time as a member of the Wooster field hockey team has truly meant so much to me. Every year and every team has felt like a family, and I’ve been lucky to play for and alongside so many amazing people who’ve shaped me into who I am today. We all push each other to be our best while supporting one another no matter what, and that’s something really special about this program. I’m so thankful for this team and all the people who’ve pushed me, supported me, and believed in me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.” Barkdoll said, “It [my time on the field hockey team] was fun. Throughout my four years on the team I got to meet some really amazing people,” and Katzenmeyer concluded, “Throughout my four years on the field hockey team, I have loved getting to play at a competitive level with my best friends. Being a Fighting Scot has allowed me to balance school and extracurriculars while playing the sport I love.”
The Fighting Scots will continue their campaign this Saturday, Nov. 1 at 12 p.m. as they take on the Allegheny College Gators in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Go Scots!
