By Jhett Laurie
Sports Editor
The College’s field hockey team split their last two games before entering New Jersey Athletic Conference play. They fell to No. 12 Ursinus in a double-overtime thriller before returning home on Sept. 30 to blow out Marywood 8-0.
The Lions held the upper hand against Ursinus through the first half of the game. Junior Rachel Tetzlaff found the cage early on for her first goal of the season. The Lions managed to hold onto the lead as both teams battled it out in the middle of the field.
Ursinus attempted just four shots, three of which were saved by graduate Brigitte Racey in goal. One of these being an early penalty stroke which Racey miraculously saved.
The offensive efforts by both teams seemed to find a new life in the second half, as a spray of shots from Ursinus netted them their first goal of the game. The Lions wasted no time responding, with junior Nika Eschmann netting her first goal in the United States. The German was assisted by senior Jadyn Huff who picked up her 11th point of the season.
The Lions’ defense held strong for the remainder of the third period, stopping four shots to hold onto the Lions’ lead. The trend continued into the fourth period, as five shots were unable to find the mark for the Golden Bears.
Desperate for a goal, Ursinus pulled their goalie from the game to give them a man advantage. With just 35 seconds left on the clock, Ursinus found the break they needed and tied the game.
As the College entered the first overtime period, their offensive luck seemed to fade away. Ursinus attempted five penalty corners and got one shot off, yet they were unable to find a break in the rock-solid Lions defense. The clock ticked away and both teams survived into the second overtime period.
The second overtime may have been the chance for the Lions to net the game winning goal, but they fell short. A break away from Huff turned dramatically into the golden goal for Ursinus as the Lions were unable to transfer back to defense in time. They ultimately left Collegeville empty-handed.
What would have likely been a comfortable win for the Lions on Sept. 26 turned out to be nothing more than a postponement as bad weather cancelled their game against Lebanon Valley.
The team would return to home again on Sept. 30 to take on Marywood where they were the favorites going into the game. The College would prove why they were the favorites as they crushed Marywood 8-0.
The Lions took no time to get hot, as Eschmann put the first points on the board for her second goal of the season. Senior Codie Sciacca then recorded her first goal of the season as she snuck one past the goalie. She then scored her second goal just three minutes later. Everything was turning up Sciacca as she scored a hat trick just one minute into the second period.
In unprecedented fashion, Sciacca ripped another one past the goalie two minutes later to score her fourth goal of the day, tying her for third all-time for goals scored in a game by a Lion. In just 10 minutes, Sciacca was single-handedly able to give the Lions a 5-0 lead.
The fun was just beginning, as Huff picked up her third point of the day on a solo goal. Marywood was unable to get anything started and did not record a single shot on goal through the first half.
The Lions offense slowed down in the second half as Marywood was able to get some shots of their own on the board. Their lone three shots on the day found Racey in goal, who picked up a pair of saves. The College answered with three shots of their own, but none of them were able to find light.
Junior Lindsay Fehir picked up her first collegiate goal in her second appearance this season off an assist from freshman Avery Gower. Many Lions players got their first chance to play as Coach Sharon Pfluger took the gas off.
Despite this, the Lions managed to get another goal, as Huff netted her fourth point on the day. The offensive awakening for the team hopefully marks a shift in momentum for the team. Their defense has proven themselves to be solid throughout the season and with a blossoming offense, the NCAA National Championship can surely be in sight for this Lions team.
The team plays their first NJAC game on Oct. 3 as they take on William Patterson at home.
