MADISON, NJ - The Susquehanna University field hockey team made a strong second half stand in their first Landmark Conference test Saturday at Drew to pull out a convincing 5-3 win. With the Rangers up 2-1 in the third, the River Hawks connected for a pair of goals to close out the third quarter, then added two more in the fourth around just one Drew score on a day where the River Hawks pelted the Rangers 26-4 in shots, including 21-3 in shots on goal.
Despite the disparity in shots, Drew connected when they did fire, with Ranger Maxine Lloyd getting her team on the board first in the closing seconds of the first quarter assisted by Emma Rider. The match remainedat 1-0 until Susquehanna's
Sarah McAndrews dribbled down the right side past a defender to tie the match at one apiece going into halftime. Drew pushed back in front, with Rider this time scoring off a corner pass to blast it in. The lead would be short-lived, though, as Susquehanna was given a corner opportunity. Inserter
Hannah Garlin ran towards the crease, where a
Kari Schmidt blast was waiting for her that she tipped in to tie the match at 2-2. With under three minutes remaining in the third, as
Kari Schmidt dribbled the ball up the middle, passing it to her left to
Lexi Fumanti who put a backhanded flip on from the left, which bounced off both the goalkeeper's glove and a defender's stick into the net to make it 3-2.
Susquehanna opened the fourth quarter widening its lead to two, this time thanks to
Sophia Prata. The River Hawks carried the ball into the box, where
Ashley Schreffler flicked a ball towards the goal, which was rebounded by Prata and knifed her way through to the net at the 47:52 mark. Drew threatened seven minutes later when Emma Bryer scored off a tip from Tyler Olivio that made the score 4-3. Schmidt answered for the River Hawks when another corner opportunity presented itself. With the insert from Garlin, Schmidt fired a clean blast from the top of the box that all but sealed the game.
Schmidt's game-clinching goal capped off a one-goal, two-assist day.
Ashley Derrick played the first 45 minutes in goal for Susquehanna, allowing two goals before giving way to
Kylie Schmidt, who allowed just one in the final period. The River Hawks peppered Drew keeper Olyvia Jackson all afternoon, with Jackson putting on an impressive day with 14 saves and five goals allowed, with her defense accounting for two more saves. Susquehanna had 15 penalty corners to Drew's three.
The early conference win puts Susquehanna in the better half of the Landmark standings along with Catholic, Elizabethtown, Scranton and Wilkes, who also won their conference openers Saturday. The River Hawks face Wilkes in their next conference game next Saturday, but not before a home Wednesday non-conference matchup with Albright at 4:30 p.m.
