After a couple of 10-0 blowout wins over Pocono Mountain West and East Stroudsburg South, the Northampton field hockey was back in action on Monday to take on Freedom on Joan Kremus Field.

It speaks volumes as to the expectations for this team that they walked away 3-1 winners in a game they completed controlled and there was still an air of disappointment in the postgame huddle.

“We didn’t fire on all cylinders today,” explained head coach Carrie Saul. “They caught us on our heels a couple of times. This wasn’t one of our best games and we have to be able to start stringing good games together. But we got it done and we should be happy after a win.”

It took a while for the K-Kids’ offense to get going. There were no goals scored in the first quarter and no corners award either.

Both things changed 6 minutes in the second period when Northampton earned the first corner of the game. Sophomore Madi Williamson hit a big drive that Lauren Reznick deflected past the Patriots’ keeper with 8:42 left in the first half to give the Kids a 1-0 lead that they took into halftime.

They doubled their lead early in the third quarter. On another corner, Williamson fed the insertion pass to Grace Roberts who was just inside the circle to her left. The senior midfielder blasted a shot that beat the goalie cleanly.

Roberts explained the process of the Northampton corners, “We have set plays and whether I’m the passer or get passed to, it kind of comes down to what’s happening in the moment. If I get passed the ball and I’m open, I shoot. If not, I pass.”

She continued, “Every school runs their defenses differently, so we have to kind of adjust our plays to them instead of trying to force what we want to do on them. We have options depending on what team runs which defense. I think we have a total of 15 or 17 different corners.”

A slight defensive breakdown by the Kids allowed Freedom to score with 4 minutes left in the third period. It was the Patriots’ only shot on goal of the game.

Williamson provided an insurance goal less than 3 minutes into the final quarter. She and Reznick got out on a 2-on-2 breakaway and Williamson finished with a reverse chip.

The regular season has passed its halfway point with Northampton sporting a 7-3 overall mark, 5-3 in EPC play. With the most difficult part of their schedule in the rearview mirror, the focus over the final 8 games will be to run the table and secure home games in the EPC and district playoffs.