After multiple weak showings by the Cal field hockey offense, coach Shellie Onstead has had enough.
Onstead’s program will take a new offensive strategy this weekend at University Park, Pa., first against Robert Morris (7-3) on Friday and No. 6 Penn State (10-3, 2-1) this Sunday.
The Bears (3-6, 0-2) have had trouble in their last two games against Stanford and Davis producing the necessary shots and goal opportunities. In a close 2-1 loss to Stanford, the Bears had only five shots. Against Davis, the numbers were equally dismal with only four shots.
With Cal’s lack of scoring opportunities, this change is a necessary means to breathe life back into the team.
The refined strategy will focus on a more aggressive offense. Onstead will take more risk pushing forward at the cost of taking players away from the midfield and defense.
The Cal defense has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the country for most of the season, while the offense has struggled to keep up.
“We’re just not getting enough going on the attack,” Onstead said. “We’re just going to get more chances so we can get some goals.”
A possible reason for the slump may be the absence of last season’s NorPac Player of the Year, Andrea Earle. Earle led the team to a 2011 NorPac tournament championship with 16 goals.
Earle was the centerpiece of the team, but her absence had unforeseen consequences.
“It certainly makes an impact, but it shouldn’t be making this big of an impact,” Onstead said.
In order to get more chances and shots, the Bears will move some to new positions while also changing the layout of the midfield formation itself.
“We’re going to play our midfield in a different shape and take a little more risk to go forward,” coach Shellie Onstead said. “We have really versatile players that can play a couple different positions, so I’m going to try a few things out.”
The matchup against Robert Morris is ideal training ground. But with a battle against No. 6 Penn State also on the weekend’s plate, perfecting the strategy is crucial.
The Bears have lost in both of their past matchups against Penn State over the course of six years. Taking a new strategy against a top-10 team is a big risk for Onstead.
Coming off an overtime loss to No. 10 Northwestern last weekend, the Lions remain a big challenge for the Bears. The Lions outshot the Wildcats 16-11 but could not convert enough of those shots to overcome Northwestern in the 5-4 battle.
Led by Kelsey Amy’s 15 goals in 13 games, the Lions’ offense is a force that the Bears will have trouble stopping.
Going into this weekend’s games, the Bears will need to move past its upsetting conference game losses. The new offensive strategy may pose a big risk, but at this point in the season, the break from conference play may be the opportune time to try new strategies.
“I’m not concerned about wins and losses going forward,” Onstead said. “I just want to make sure we’re improving. And it’s just about solving the issues that are leading to that, so we‘re just going to take it each game at a time.”
Jessica Lim covers field hockey. Contact her at [email protected]
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