HUNTINGDON, PA - The Susquehanna University field hockey team moved one step closer to Landmark Conference supremacy Tuesday night with a 3-0 shutout win at Juniata. First-year Mady Quigley got the team's first two goals in the second quarter, while Sophia Prata tagged another goal in the third quarter for her team-leading eighth of the season to improve Susquehanna's conference record to 7-0 and 11-5 overall.

The victory puts SUFH in prime position to obtain the top seed for the Landmark Conference Tournament or at least the top two spots to clinch a first-round bye. With two games to go they'll need wins against the other top teams in the league, starting at Scranton (15-2, 6-1 Landmark), their opponent from last year's championship game, this Saturday at 1 p.m. The Royals' only conference loss and one of just their two all season was against fellow Landmark unbeaten Catholic, who Susquehanna plays host to Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. The Cardinals defeated Scranton back on Oct. 5 by a 2-1 score to stand 7-0 in the Landmark and 9-7 overall.

In Huntingdon Tuesday night the Eagles, now 3-4 in the Landmark and still in the tournament picture, held off Susquehanna for at least the first quarter in a scoreless opening 15 minutes. That all changed rapidly going into the second as the first-year Quigley was in the right place at the right time to give SU its first two goals of the night. Following a penalty corner senior Kari Schmidt blasted a ball waist-high that came towards Quigley, who tapped it with her stick to redirect the ball and into the cage to make the score 1-0. For the second goal Quigley was the one doing the blasting. From the top of the arc down the right wing. Quigley dribbled a ball to the far post. Eagles goalie Amanda Puza let it sail on by, believing it would go wide. Instead it took a bounce off the post and into the net that gave Susquehanna a 2-0 lead going into halftime. Quigley, who leads the first-years in scoring and third on the team with six goals, was met on the goal-scoring board Tuesday by team-leading scorer Prata. With a penalty corner chance early in the third quarter, Quigley inserted to Lydia Hidlay, who sent one in inside the arc. Waiting there was Prata, who pushed it in to give her her eighth goal of the campaign with 18 points for second on the squad behind Schmidt, who has 21 points on seven goals and assists.

Senior goalie Ashley Derrick got the win in a two-save showing to up her record to 7-4 on the year. Susquehanna outshot Juniata 18-4, including 16-2 in shots on goal. Eagles goalie Puza had nine saves in the first 54-and-a-half minutes in goal before turning it over to Kara Stringfellow, who had two saves on the night. The River Hawks also had ten penalty corners to the Eagles' three. Hidlay, who was credited with the assist on the game's third goal to Prata, is tied for the team lead with Schmidt with seven assists, with her four goals this season giving her 15 points, good for fourth on the team.

The remaining games on the River Hawks' schedule are set to be good ones against Scranton and Catholic. Susquehanna made it a season sweep of Scranton last season, both home contests as they took a 2-0 regular-season win late in the year to go 8-0 in the Landmark and ultimately the 2-1 win in the championship game in a shootout. Though Susquehanna lost to Catholic last season in D.C., 2-1, the River Hawks maintained the top seed due to winning the three-way tie to them and Scranton. The victory earned the Cardinals the second seed in the conference tournament, but were beaten by the third-seeded Royals, 1-0.