Field Hockey: Beier’s early goal stands up as Thomas Worthington bests Columbus Academy
Monday, October 9, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Sophia Borghese of Thomas Worthington releases a shot against Columbus Academy on Oct. 9. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Lauren Beier offered one explanation as to why she’s an adept scorer on the left post. She used to play softball.
Beier scored the only goal in the Thomas Worthington field hockey team’s 1-0 win over visiting Columbus Academy on Oct. 9.
The play came off a penalty corner in which Sophia Borghese found Emmy Wellejus on the right side. Wellegus centered the ball, which deflected off Julie Conroy’s stick in front and found Beier, who tapped it in with 11 minutes, 31 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
“I work a lot on those bouncy balls,” Beier said. “Over on the fence, my teammates just kind of whack them at me. It helps when you practice a lot. Also, I used to play softball a lot, so I think that helps my hand-eye coordination.”
Caroline Sprung of Thomas Worthington and Columbus Academy’s Carson Kass compete Oct. 9. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Asked why she gave softball up, Beier said, “It was a little too slow for me. I like to run too much.”
Top-ranked Thomas (14-2), which is seeded third in next week’s regional tournament, didn’t convert on its next 15 penalty corner tries.
“We were smart and intelligent, looking to see what was open and working the ball around and taking a good shot (on the first one),” Thomas coach Terri Simonetti Frost said. “(Our defense) has only allowed 30 shots on cage (this season). It’s something that we focus on. We try to create a lot of double-teams or find chances to disrupt their offensive play.”
The Cardinals’ defense, which has held opponents to just one goal over their last six games, stood tall against the fifth-ranked Vikings (10-4-1).
Mae Conroy had one save for the Cardinals.
“Our defense is killer,” Beier said. “We practice what we call, ‘2 minutes’ which I guess is a psychological thing. Two minutes after you score a goal, you’re more likely to let yourself be scored on. So, when we put a goal in, we’ve gotta work harder now for the next 2 minutes because we’re at a disadvantage.”
Emmy Welleius of Thomas Worthington shoots against visiting Columbus Academy on Oct. 9. Photo: John Hulkenberg
What makes Thomas’ defense so good?
“They have a great defense and a great midfield line that’s hard to get the ball past,” said Academy coach Jacque DeMarco, whose team is seeded fifth in the tournament. “Their left back (Jaidyn Gussler) did a nice job for them as well.”
Carson Kass and Bebe Smith had Academy’s only shots as Thomas gave few opportunities. The Vikings went 0-for-4 on penalty corners as well.
After the goal, Sydney Lesh had nine saves to keep the Vikings within striking distance.
“She earned her spot and she’s getting better every day,” DeMarco said. “We’re young and she keeps us in it and it gives us a little time to bounce back. She fights for them and they fight for her and you could tell at the end (of tonight’s game) when they walked off the field. They really fought for her.”