SELINSGROVE, PA (October 18, 2023) – Susquehanna field hockey took to home turf on Wednesday evening for their second-straight home conference matchup, after claiming a key Senior Day victory on Saturday over Moravian. They would stretch their winning streak even further on Wednesday as they earned their fifth Landmark shutout win of the season and eighth shutout overall by beating Juniata College 3-0 on the night.
The River Hawks were in command right from the opening whistle, dominating possession throughout the game and consistently churning out scoring chances. The early pressure was made to pay, as after getting two shots and two penalty corners in the opening five minutes, the first goal came just before the seven minute mark, as Kari Schmidt received a crossing pass from Katie Bucher and flashed a shot that went across the face of goal and into the back side of the goal, notching her fifth goal of the season, with Bucher also picking up her fifth assist.
Shots continued to come thick and fast, with 13 in the first half alone for SU, while Juniata's goalie would make eight saves in the first two quarters, along with a defensive save contributing to keeping some of the shots out. But a second tally came off the stick of Sarah McAndrews, who jumped on a save that rebounded out to her and allowed her to fire home her fifth of the season and double the SU lead midway through the second quarter.
The second half saw Susquehanna continue to hold the lion's share of possession, but the visiting Eagles would begin to stem the tide a bit more, holding SU to just six shots in the second half and needing to make only two saves. However, the River Hawks would still get a third goal in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, as McAndrews took on the assisting role this time, playing a pass in front of the goal face and seeing Kate Ausmus jump on the opportunity, poking it home for the first goal of her collegiate career.
Susquehanna's defense was on point at every opportunity, holding the Eagles to a single shot on the night. Goalkeeper Ashley Derrick picked up her 11th win of the season and sixth shutout, needing just a single save to do so.
The River Hawks improved to 12-4 overall and 7-0 in the Landmark, clinching a home playoff spot in the opening round of the Landmark postseason with just two games remaining on the regular season slate. Those two will prove critical, as they come against Scranton and Catholic, who sit tied for first and third in the conference, respectively, with the River Hawks battling Scranton for sole possession of first place in their next game. That matchup comes on Saturday, October 21, part of an exciting slate of games during Homecoming Weekend at SU. The game will begin at 1 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
