By Alexandra Parado
Sports Assistant
For the second time this year, the field hockey team could not overcome a one-point deficit against Messiah College, which ended the Lions’ NCAA Tournament run in the semifinals.
The Lions concluded their season on Friday, Nov. 17, with a 1-0 loss to Messiah in Louisville, Kentucky.
The opening half of the game was protracted as both team’s defenses played hard. The Lions held Messiah to three corners and three shots while Messiah held them to only two corners and one shot.
In the first half, senior goalkeeper Christina Fabiano kept the game scoreless. Messiah’s continuous pressure broke down the Lions defense as junior midfielder/defender Sidney Padilla fought hard to defensively save back-to-back penalty corners.
Fabiano hoped to keep her shutout going and give her team the chance to win. In the 46th minute of the game, Messiah senior midfielder Kristin Donohue shot a ball that was deflected off a Lions defender. The ball went in despite Fabiano’s best effort.
Fabiano finished the game with a solid performance that included seven saves, but the Lions offense couldn’t find the equalizer. Unfortunately, Messiah scored the game’s singular goal.
With two minutes left on the clock, sophomore forward/midfielder Kayla Peterson strove to score, but her shot slipped slightly outside the right post.
The Lions ended the 2017 season at 17-4 and claimed third place in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the program’s history.
The field hockey team will look to build off this season in 2018 as they will return 26 out of 28 players.
