WASHINGTON, DC (October 25, 2023) – The Susquehanna University field hockey team visited Catholic on Tuesday evening with all to play for, entering into a preview of what could be a potential Landmark Championship matchup in just over a week's time, with the two squads both having clinched a playoff spot and fighting for a first-round bye and a chance to claim a first place finish in the Landmark regular season. Due to a three-way tiebreak scenario with Scranton in the mix, SU would be able to hold onto the number one spot even if they were to fall to Catholic, so long as the deficit was just one goal. This scenario would ultimately come to pass, as the River Hawks managed to cut into an early 2-0 deficit with a goal but were unable to equalize and fell 2-1 on the night.

A cagey opening period saw the two offenses unable to find any chances for shots in the respective stingy defenses. But the hosting Cardinals would come alive in the second quarter, unleashing seven shots in the quarter, and forcing Susquehanna goalie Ashley Derrick to get involved with three saves, being tested more often than is typical behind her defense. Catholic would break through midway through the second period after latching onto a loose Derrick save in front of the goal and firing it home.

Momentum appeared to favor Catholic as they came back out on the offensive to start the second half. They would score that second goal needed to secure the number one seed just thirty seconds into the third quarter. But this would light a fire in the River Hawks, who would begin a period of dominance that saw them tally seven of their eight total shots, forcing four Catholic saves, and scoring the crucial goal with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Sarah McAndrews would get the tally, firing an excellent low cross toward the goal that ultimately deflected off a defender's stick and into the cage, making her already on-target drive nearly unsavable.

Far from resting on their laurels, the River Hawks continued to push for an equalizer in the fourth quarter, but ultimately their efforts would not bear fruit, seeing their four-game win streak and undefeated Landmark campaign come to an end.

Despite missing out on an undefeated finish, SU still did enough to secure their first-round bye in the postseason along with clinching home-field advantage throughout the tournament as the number one seed. Their 8-1 conference record is the best in program history, aided by the conference expansion to include Lycoming and Wilkes. They'll now enjoy the extra days' rest and prepare to host their semifinal on Wednesday, November 1, where they will face the lowest-seeded winner of the two opening round matches.

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--RIVER HAWKS--