By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The College’s field hockey team took a hit in the rankings as they fell from No. 17 to No. 18 following a shootout loss to Lebanon Valley College.
The Dutchmen went into the game with an underdog mentality, hoping to upset the ranked Lions who had had only one loss in the season, following a week three loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins.
The Lions struggled early on as they were unable to capitalize on three penalty corners and four shots, keeping the game tied in the first period.
The second period saw the Lions fall on their back foot as Lebanon Valley found the net first late in the second period. The Lions attempted to avenge the point; however, they were unable to find the equalizer before halftime.
The College sought to put pressure on early with two attempted shots and a penalty corner, but strong goal work from Lebanon Valley kept them from scoring.
The Dutchmen were able to stun the Lions once again, scoring their second goal of the game with just two minutes remaining in the third period.
The College needed a huge momentum shift to have any hope of bouncing back. That shift came with just six minutes remaining when Sophomore Rachael Tetzlaff was able to find the goal for the Lions on a penalty corner.
This goal became crucial, as three minutes later, Freshman Lindsey Hoffman tied the game to force overtime. Both Tetzlaff and Hoffman recorded their first goals of the season, with Hoffman's being her first career goal.
In the first overtime, the Lions kept the pressure up on offense, recording three penalty corners and three shots, none of which broke through. The teams remained deadlocked, forcing the Lions second double-overtime game this season.
The College traded blows with the Dutchmen, with each team attempting two corners. Senior Lions goalie Brigitte Racey proved to be the deciding factor, recording three saves to keep the Lions alive.
With neither team breaking the tie, the game went to shootouts. This was the first time since 2009 that the Lions had a game decided by penalty strokes.
Junior Jadyn Huff scored the first penalty stroke for the Lions before Lebanon Valley missed their first two. They would go on to make the next three, with the Lions missing all but the last. Lebanon Valley would win the game, defeating the College 3-2 in strokes.
The Lions Oct. 1 game against Albright College was unfortunately cancelled. The team looks to get back on track when they travel to take on Messiah on Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.
