SPORTS

The Wildcats celebrate the goal scored against UMass.

DAVIDSON — Davidson field hockey coach Zoe Almquist saw more progress from her team Friday night, despite a 3-1 loss to UMass at Belk Turf Field.

The first-year Wildcats coach liked the way her team played in the final 30 minutes against one of the league’s traditional powers.

“Really happy with the way we played in the second half, but I’d like to see us do it from the get-go,” said Almquist, especially noting how the team built up its offensive attack. “That shows the progress we’ve made. It’s not really showing on the scoreboard right now, but I like the way we were battling back into the game.”

The Wildcats scored the only goal of the second half on a Julia Smith penalty stroke in the 57th minute. Smith’s shot angled right for her third goal of the year.

UMass built a 3-0 lead in the first half, led by Lucy Cooper who scored one goal and assisted on the other two, which were scored by Bella Ianni and Katherine Furry in the first quarter.

The Wildcats finished with a 3-2 advantage in corners.