Box Score ALLENTOWN, Pa – After regulation time, two overtime periods, and penalty strokes the Cedar Crest College field hockey team beat Moravian College, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon to improve to 4-1 on the season.
"That was one of the most exciting games of my career," stated third year Head Coach Kellina Yarrish. "The girls worked so hard and are so deserving of this win. They left everything out there to come up with success. The girls did a great job of keeping up their energy the entire game as well as their intensity. Every single team member contributed to the success today and I could not be more proud. We had young players step up into really big rolls today for us which really made a difference for us. It's always a fun atmosphere when you are playing a local team, the amount of fans for both teams gave the players a great experience at the FalconPlex. I am excited to see what we are capable of moving forward in our season especially in conference play."
The Falcons out shot the Greyhounds, 9-0 in the first half, as freshman Annalise Unger (Burlington, VT /Rice Memorial ) was the first to take action for the Falcons, but her timing was off as the Greyhound goalie came up with the save. At the six-minute mark, freshman Brice Gardner (Gardners, Pa./Biglerville ) and senior Hannah Gouck (Kintnersville, PA/Palisades) took back-to-back shots before a foul on Moravian allowed a corner for the Falcons. Senior Elizabeth Lamm (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) took a shot, but was blocked by the Greyhound goalie. At the 21-minute mark, sophomore Mackenzie Kistler took a shot, but was stopped short by the Moravian goalie. Freshman Mercedes Melo (Lehighton, Pa./Palmerton Area) took a penalty corner and Kistler got a shot off. The half ended with a corner taken by Melo and a shot taken by sophomore Alexx Miller (Mechanicsburg, Pa/Mechanicsburg Area). Going into halftime, the Falcons and Greyhounds were tied at 0-0.
After a scoreless first half, the Falcons maintained their intensity, again by out shooting their opponent, 7-1. Lamm had the hot hand coming out with a shot right away, but was stopped short by the Moravian goalie. At the 53rd minute mark, Gouck worked her way down field looking to fake the goalie one way, but she didn't budge as the Greyhound goalie came up with the save. Melo placed another corner in this one leading to back-to-back shots by Miller and freshman Ally Arabio (Egg Harbor, N.J./Egg Harbor ), both were saved by the Moravian goalie. The Falcons and Greyhounds ended regulation time tied at 0-0.
Both teams matched up evenly for the first 12 minutes of overtime before Lamm, Unger and Kistler all got shots off, but were stopped by the Moravian goalie. In the 82nd minute Gouck took her shot on goal, but the goalie came out for the save. The second period overtime was more of a possession game, both teams looking for the appropriate time to make a move, but neither team connected.
With the game still tied at 0-0 after 100 minutes, the Falcons and Greyhounds moved into penalty strokes. Moravian shot first, with sophomore goalkeeper Cassandra Reijgers (Hollis, NH/Hollis Brookline) coming out for the save. Gouck was the first to shoot for the Falcons, dribbling the ball to the left before bringing it back to her right around the goalie, shooting just out of her reach to give the Falcons the 1-0 lead. Moravian's second penalty stroke was also saved by Reijgers. Miller was next to shoot for the Falcons, dribbling to the right side of the circle before placing the ball right past the goalie to lift the score 2-0. On Moravian's third attempt, the ball was shot just out of Reijgers reach and the Greyhounds got their first goal of the afternoon. The next shooter for Cedar Crest was Unger, who dribbled into the circle, shooting right under the goalie's stick to give the Falcons the 3-1 lead. Reijgers came in clutch for the Falcons, stopping Moravian's final shot, to give Cedar Crest the 3-1 win.
The next game for the Falcons opens Colonial States Athletic Conference play at Cabrini College on September 23. The game is set to begin at 11:00 A.M.
