Allentown, PA

With the crisp September air finally here, the Cedar Crest Field Hockey team played with mid-season precision against the Bulldogs of DeSales University in their home opening game. After last year's OT win for the Falcons against DeSales, both teams came out with strong conviction to earn a win.

The Falcons were able to keep the Bulldogs scoreless for the first ten minutes of game play until DeSales was able to find the back of the cage. The Bulldogs would score again on the 13^th minute of play, but the Falcons held them back for another stretch of time until the 23^rd minute. While the first half ended 7-0 in favor of the Bulldogs, fans saw excellent defensive strategy across the entire line up during the first half, including defensive saves from Emily Rodenberger (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen), Gerlie Loyola (Manorville, NY/Eastport South Manor Jr/Sr ), and Jen Harbison (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg). Freshman defender Rachel Stump (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood) was a key player in turnovers with great block tackles.

With an urgency to score, the Falcons switched their sights to getting onto the scoreboard with nine shots in the second half. With three scoring opportunities from penalty corners, the Falcons were unable to get on the board, ending in a 0-11 loss. Sophomore Vivianna Samite (Oakridge, NJ/Jefferson Twp.) tallied two defensive saves in the second half along with excellent ball handling in the midfield.

The Falcons would end their first home game with nine shots and six defensive saves against the Bulldogs of DeSales University. Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Brendlinger (Westmont, NJ/Haddon Twp.) had 22 saves in today's game.

The Falcons will travel to Frederick, Maryland on Saturday, September 21^st for their non-conference match up against the Hood College Blazers. Game time is at 1:00pm.