 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Falcons outlast Herons, 4-3
September 2, 2006
GENEVA, N.Y.—The Herons and the Falcons squared off in field hockey action this afternoon in weather that was better suited for a duck. Messiah escaped the deluge of rain with a 4-3 win over the host William Smith.
Seniors Sophie Dennis (Dana L. West/Port Byron, N.Y.) and Liz Saucier (Old Town/Old Town, Maine) led William Smith (0-1) with two points each, while first-year Emily Sauder (Cocalico/Reinholds, Pa.) paced the Falcons (1-0), who got their four goals from four different players, with a team-high two points (0-2).
William Smith first-year Kaitlyn Hamilton (Harpursville/Harpursville, N.Y.) opened the season’s scoring, finishing a feed from Dennis, in the match’s 17th minute. The Falcons needed just 24 seconds to respond. Sophomore Tiffany Leatherman (Christopher Dock/Telford, Pa.) scored off an assist from Sauder to even the contest.
The match remained knotted 1-1 through halftime.
After the break, Messiah struck first on junior Lindsey Hunter’s (Mt. View/Unity, Maine) unassisted tally in the 39th minute.
The Herons equalized when Saucier set up senior Ashley Barker (Cape Elizabeth/Cape Elizabeth, Maine) in the 66th minute.
The Falcons reclaimed the lead with back-to-back scores just two minutes apart. Senior Lynn Sandowich (Haddon Heights/Haddon Heights, N.J.) drove home the first, followed by sophomore Nikki Bailey (West Perry/Elliottsburg, Pa.).
Facing a two-goal deficit with less than two minutes remaining, William Smith refused to go quietly. On a penalty corner, Saucier sent a pass from the top of the circle to Dennis on the end line, who scored from a seemingly impossible angle to make it a 4-3 contest with 58 seconds left. Unfortunately, the Herons were unable to generate another shot.
Sophomore goalie Renee Herbster (Midd-West/Middleburg, Pa.) made four saves to pick up the win, while sophomore Katie DeKraker (Staples/Westport, Conn.) recorded eight stops for William Smith.
The Herons are back in action at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, when they travel to Geneseo.