Over the past three seasons, senior goalkeeper Brooke Ross has been a force in net for the Holy Cross field hockey team. 

As a freshman during the 2020 COVID season, Ross’ first experiences as a collegiate goalie came during the team’s shortened spring season. After an 0-3 start that saw Holy Cross come up one goal short in each of the games, Ross made her debut in goal at Lehigh on April 4.

“[Playing collegiately] is truly what you are always working towards as an athlete,” Ross said of her debut. “I was a freshman and [the coaches] told me the morning of the game that I would be starting over the two older goalkeepers. I was so excited, but goalie is a really high-pressure position, so it was a lot to handle. It ended up going incredibly well and everyone was so supportive!”

Ross finished the game with eight saves and one goal allowed in 60 minutes of work. The Crusaders would win 2-1, and Ross was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.

In her sophomore and junior seasons, Ross played in 29 games, recording 135 saves, three shutouts, and a 2.04 goals-against average. On Friday, Ross opened her senior season by recording a 10 save, double-overtime shutout against Stonehill. To open the second overtime, Ross stopped a potential game-winning penalty stroke opportunity for the Skyhawks, earning her Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

Despite it looking like Ross knew exactly where Stonehill was going to shoot on the opportunity, she said that is not always the case with strokes.

“I don’t think you can really predict strokes. I always look at the ground first. A goalie coach I once worked with said you only have 7 seconds of perfect focus, so I try not to stare at the ball for too long,” Ross said of lining up against a penalty stroke. “Good players will eye fake and body fake, so you can’t read it well at all. I watched her weight shift a bit and then just tried to meet the ball in the air. It’s really a reaction and a guessing game!”

While the rush of such a thrilling game may take a while to wear off, Ross and the Crusaders turn their focus to their second and third games of the season, away matchups at Northeastern (Friday, Sept. 1 at 6 pm), and Brown (Sunday, Sept. 3 at 12 pm). 

“Our team has been working hard since we showed up for preseason and we have found a lot of success when we control the field and set the pace ourselves,” Ross said of this year’s squad. “I want us to communicate effectively and I’m excited to see us take a lot of shots and finish in the circle.” 

An anthropology major, Ross has a lot of options for after graduation, including graduate school, playing another season of collegiate field hockey, or playing internationally. For now, she’ll focus on the upcoming games and enjoying her senior year.

'SADER SHORTS

• The Crusaders last played Northeastern and Brown in the 2021 season.
• Holy Cross is 0-13 against Northeastern and 11-25 against Brown all-time.

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