Box Score Box Score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Susquehanna's field hockey
team honored five members for Senior Day on Saturday afternoon
before the Crusaders played Elizabethtown. Unfortunately, SU fell
to the Blue Jays 5-3 in the 2013 season finale.
The Crusaders (9-9) fell behind less than three minutes into the
game as the Blue Jays scored at the 2:09 mark to put SU in the
early 1-0 deficit.
But SU would respond with the tying goal at 4:28 as senior
midfielder Rebecca Marion (Wallingford, Pa. / Strath
Haven) scored the equalizer with an assist from classmate
Erica Reichart (Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg Area)
directly off a penalty corner.
Elizabethtown (13-5) would regain the lead right before
intermission to go into halftime leading 2-1. In the opening
period, the Blue Jays outshot the Crusaders 21-8 and attempted
eight penalty corners to three for SU.
Less than a minute into the second half, the Blue Jays would
strike again to increase the lead to 3-1.
But the Crusaders cut the deficit to 3-2 as freshman
Emily Novakovich (Saratoga, Calif. / Lynbrook)
found the back of the cage in the 55th minute, with
assists provided by seniors Nancy Heidt (Saunderstown, R.I.
/ North Kingstown) and Reichart off a penalty corner.
However, the Blue Jays responded with a pair of goals less than
three minutes apart to increase the lead to 5-2 with a little over
eight minutes to play.
Freshman Lauren Cram (East Brunswick, N.J. / East
Brunswick) notched the game's final goal off a
redirected pass from Marion to trim Elizabethtown's lead to
5-3 as the Blue Jays held on for the non-conference win.
Junior forward Brodie Ercole (Oakmont, Pa. / Lewisburg
Area) finished the game with a team-high seven shots and
Novakovich provided four shots of her own.
Heidt made two defensive saves, giving her 11 career defensive
saves. Classmate Margaret Ruth (Lewisberry, Pa. /
Northern) made a career-high 21 saves, the third most in a
single game in program history. Ruth finishes her career tied for
third in saves (379), fourth in wins (21), tied for fifth in
shutouts (5) and ninth in goals against average (2.31).
Before the contest, SU honored Marion, Reichart, Heidt,
Hillary Moore (Columbus, N.J. / Northern
Burlington) and Ruth for their playing careers in the
Orange & Maroon.
Elizabethtown, who is moving into the Landmark Conference in
2014, clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth
playoffs. The Blue Jays lead the all-time series 10-9 with
Susquehanna's last victory occurring back in 2005.
The Crusaders were officially eliminated from playoff contention
as both Moravian and Scranton captured league victories over
Goucher and Catholic earlier today.
