A whistle cuts through the air at Yavits Field, and all play comes to a sudden stop. All eyes look to the referee in anticipation of the call to come. A penalty corner has been signaled, and the field hockey team’s defense is ready to go.

Senior goalkeeper Courtney Dowell calls her four teammates into a huddle before the play begins. Down most of their players because of the penalty, they are the only Bombers left who separate the ball from the goal.

Dowell counts to three and her teammates respond with a powerful “Defense.” They are on a mission — to get the ball out of the circle while their midfielders and forwards sprint from midfield for backup.  

“You really need to be a force to be reckoned with to be a good defensive player,” Dowell said. “You have to be intense the entire game and ready to go at any time.”

This season, the Blue and Gold’s defense brings that intensity to every practice and game.

Dowell said the Bombers have been doing a solid job so far this season but still want to grow as a team.

“We’re doing a much better job with things like communication and concentration than the past few seasons,” Dowell said. “But there’s always room for improvement — we always work hard to get better.”

Communication has been crucial for the Bombers this season. Whether it is in practice or a game, they can be heard yelling to “mark up” or “stay low.” Silence never falls on Yavits Field as long as the South Hill squad is there.

“We try to stress how important communication is so everyone knows where everybody is — who they’re marking, if they have the ball,” junior back Key Fox said. “We’re the ones who can see the whole field and talking makes everyone’s job easier.”

The Bombers’ defense has also concentrated on being more aggressive to the ball. Rather than waiting for the opposing offense to come to them, they have worked on stepping up to the ball and creating more opportunities for their midfielders and forwards.

“Stepping up means acting on the play instead of reacting to what the other team does,” Fox said. “We need to be setting the pace, and you can’t do that if you don’t step up and take the chance.“

Though the Bombers have started out with a 2–4 record, they have taken the challenges thrown at them head on. They have played a difficult schedule, taking on teams such as the undefeated College of Wooster and then-No. 18 William Smith College.

Junior back Mia Muzio said the Bombers have played well defensively despite some of the outcomes.

“We always show up to play no matter how good a team may be,” Muzio said. “We show a lot of talent, and we definitely hold our own.”

After playing five consecutive road games, the Bombers return Saturday to Yavits Field to play their next Empire 8 game against Hartwick College.

As the last line of defense, there is pressure to succeed, but the Bombers’ defense always recovers positively and pushes themselves harder for the next time the ball comes in the circle.

“Before every game we sing ‘Every day I’m Hustling’ to remind ourselves why we’re out there and what we need to do,” Dowell said. “We take things from different games, and in the end it helps us to become a better team.

Box Score - Ithaca vs Wooster (09/20/09 at Wooster, Ohio)