SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna field hockey began their Landmark Conference title defense on Saturday, beating Drew 6-1 on a day where they tallied 27 shots, finding the target with 16. Five of the six goals were scored by members of the senior class.
The River Hawks broke ahead early, producing a great move that culminated in
Sophia Prata opening her account for the year after a line-breaking pass from
Ashley Schreffler in the fourth minute of the game. The first quarter was the River Hawks' quietest in terms of shots, with the shot battle after the first 15 minutes five-three in favor of the hosts.
It was just 36 seconds after the start of the second quarter that the River Hawks added a second, with
Rebecca Ripans converting from close range after being set up by sophomore
Taylor Rothermel. Seven minutes later,
Kari Schmidt added her name to the scoresheet, blasting home from a penalty corner delivered to her by
Lydia Hidlay.
The fourth goal was similar to the third, with Hidlay finding
Emma Campitelli at the top of the circle for her to account for the only goal not scored by a senior on the day in the third quarter. In the third period, the River Hawks compiled nine shots on eight penalty corners, but were only able to find the target once.
The River Hawks were not done there, as Ripans grabbed a hard-earned second goal in the 49th minute assisted by Schmidt. Drew pulled a goal back from a penalty corner, scoring through Ellie Kopec with their only shot of the fourth quarter.
The scoring was complete with just three minutes to go, as Prata netted her second of the day on a feed from Schmidt that settled the score at 6-1.
Seven River Hawks attempted multiple shots on the day, those being Rothermel, Campitelli, Ripans, Schmidt, Hidlay, Prata, and
Riley Corbett.
Ashley Derrick got the start in cage for the hosts, and played all 60 minutes while making four saves from five shots on target.
SUFH moves to 3-2 on the year after the win, and 1-0 in the Landmark. Their next game comes at King's on Wednesday, September 25th, before they travel back to Wilkes-Barre for the second time to take on Wilkes next weekend. They next return home for the Connie Harnum Memorial Game on Sunday, September 29th, in a clash with nationally-ranked Lynchburg.
