The College's field hockey team out-shot, out-scored and out-played the Cougars of Kean University last Tuesday night for a 1-0 win. "We played our game," head coach Sharon Pfluger said.
Junior midfielder Kaitlin Wooster scored the only goal of the game just 4:46 into play, for the Lions victory at Kean. This New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) match-up played a crucial role in the standings for both teams.
The Lions now improve to 4-1 in the NJAC, 8-4 overall while the Cougars fall to 2-2 in the NJAC and are also now 8-4 overall.
Wooster started the Lions off on the right foot, scoring her sixth goal of the season early in the game. What followed was an all-around great team effort. Junior goalie Kristina Beyel had her sixth solo shut-out victory, stopping two shots coming from the Cougars' freshman forward Caitlin Slemmer and junior midfielder Cherie McNellis.
Pfluger said the Lions' defense was on Tuesday night. Sophomore defender Meg Hess and senior midfielder Kim Feeley did an excellent job defending the Lions circle, while Wooster and sophomore forward Jess Berkowitz continued to fire on the Cougars� cage.
The Cougars' junior goalkeeper Concetta Valerio made seven saves and the Cougars managed to shut the Lions down for the rest of the game. But their efforts were not enough to overcome the Lions. The College held a 10-4 advantage in shots and a 6-4 edge in penalty corners.
"It was a great team effort, everyone played well together," Pfluger said. She said she was pleased to see everyone, including the girls on the sidelines, contribute to the win.
"It was a good match-up, and we needed everyone for the win," Pfluger said.
Thursday's game against Eastern University was rained out, so instead the Lions continued to work hard and prepare for their next game at Messiah College on Oct. 19.
The Lions' next home game will be on Oct. 21 against Millersville University.
