Tasmin Cookman Propels 'Cats Past Quinnipiac, 2-1, in Season Opener

Friday, August 26

Hamden, Conn.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

(1-0)

Quinnipiac

(0-1)

New Hampshire

Quinnipiac

Tasmin Cookman Propels 'Cats Past Quinnipiac, 2-1, in Season Opener

8/26/2022 10:04:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

HAMDEN, Conn. – Freshman forward Tasmin Cookman (Woking, England) recorded a goal and an assist to propel the University of New Hampshire field hockey team to Friday's season-opening 3-1 victory against Quinnipiac University at QU Field Hockey Stadium.

Tasmin set up the first goal of the game and then scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter. Classmate Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario) and senior captain Jaiden Wittel (Stroudsburg, Pa.) scored UNH's other two goals.

Senior goalkeeper Jemma Woods (Frimley, England) made five of her seven saves in the second quarter. QU counterpart Cristina Torres made two saves and allowed two goals in 59:58 of action; Nina Santore entered the game solely to face the penalty stroke.

A lightning delay extended halftime by 30 minutes and there was a lightning delay of more than an hour before the start of the fourth quarter.

COACH'S QUIP
"This is a big win. It was pretty rough managing all the stoppages and restarts and keeping focused and composed to finish out the game," head coach Robin Balducci said. "We had some tremendous performances by our young guys, for sure. Tas set up a goal and scored on a penalty stroke. Nicole Poulakis had the icing-on-the-cake goal that was a really important one to close out the game.

"Jemma had a very good game for us. In the beginning of the game, she kept us afloat for a bit while they were pressing and she certainly did a great job."

UP NEXT

The Wildcats return to action Aug. 28 for their home opener against Boston University. Game time is 1 p.m. at Memorial Field.

FIRST QUARTER

UNH recorded a 5-3 shot advantage and the only penalty corner in the opening 15 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER

Quinnipiac recorded an 8-3 shot advantage and had a 4-1 edge in corners in the second quarter, but it was New Hampshire that struck first.
Woods denied Stella Tegtmeier in the 17^th minute and then Emilia Massarelli in the 19^th minute to keep the game scoreless.
The Wildcats opened the game and season scoring when Cookman set up Wittel's goal at 21:13.
The Bobcats were awarded a corner with one minute on the clock, but Woods turned aside Olivia Howard to send the Wildcats into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

THIRD QUARTER

Lucia Pompeo scored 97 seconds into the second half to tie the score, 1-1.
Wittel's shot in the 45^th minute beat Torres but Amanda Funaro made the defensive save to keep the game deadlocked at 1.
UNH was awarded a penalty stroke in the waning seconds and Cookman converted to put the 'Cats back in front, 2-1, at 44:42.

FOURTH QUARTER

New Hampshire limited the home team to one shot in the last 15 minutes.
Cookman sent a shot wide of the cage in the 47^th minute.
Neither team recorded another shot until Poulakis' unassisted goal extended the advantage to 3-1 at 56:53.
The Bobcats generated a corner in the 57^th minute and the shot of Tegtmeier's stick went wide.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Quinnipiac finished with the edge in shots (15-12) and shots on goal (8-6), as well as penalty corners (8-3).
UNH held the lead for a total 25 minutes, 42 seconds. The game was tied the other 34:18.
Cookman, Wittel and senior Leah Glidden (Kittery, Maine) tied for the team lead with three shots.
The two lightning delays totaled more than 90 minutes.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Two freshmen – Cookman and Poulakis – scored a goal in their collegiate debuts. The last time a UNH freshman scored a goal in the season opener was 2018, when both Finn Caron and Tia Raspante scored in a 3-2 win vs. UMass.
Dating back to the 2011 season, Cookman is the first Wildcat freshman to record more than two points in a season opener.
Six players, including Cookman and Poulakis, made their UNH debuts. They were joined in the starting lineup by Tamera Cookman, Anne Dabekaussen (Badhoevedorp, Netherlands) and Juliane Ohmen (Bremen, Germany); Bella Davies-Roche (Lymington, United Kingdom) entered as a substitute.
In addition to Woods and Wittel, senior Molly McAteer (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomore Ella Pratt (Greenwood Village, Colo.) played the full 60 minutes.