ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – Eastern University Field Hockey rallied from a one-goal deficit to defeat visiting Elizabethtown College 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Becky Howard scored in the 40th minute to break the tie and give the Eagles the victory.
In the opening minute of the game, Eastern (2-6) had had a chance on a penalty corner.
Ali Balmer set up Macy Talhelm at the top of the circle, but Talhelm's shot whistled outside the near post.
The teams traded opportunities through the opening moments of the match. The Blue Jays took two shots in a 30-second span but saw both attempts sail wide of the mark. An Elizabethtown forward had a breakaway chance in the 26th minute, but
Nicole Berger raced off her line to smother the chance with a big save.
The Blue Jays (4-4) broke through in the 30th minute. After an individual effort to earn the circle, Emma Christman tucked away a shot from a tough angle.
The lead did not last long.
Marissa Laganas scored a penalty corner goal for the Eagles three minutes later.
Gina Miller received the insert, made a move and ripped a low shot toward goal. A Blue jay defender deflected the ball and it launched high in the air toward the netting behind the goal. Balmer knocked the ball out of the air. Before Balmer could get a second touch to the ball the Elizabethtown goalie pushed the ball with her stick, but her touch went into the scoring zone. Laganas beat the goalie to the rebound and pushed it across the line to tie the score.
Eastern carried that momentum into the second half, and Howard gave the Eagles the lead in the opening four minutes.
Alison Hoag raced down the right side of the field and played a high ball toward the front of the net. Howard beat her defender to the ball and swatted home her first career goal for the 2-1 lead.
The Eagles kept the pressure on but were unable to extend their lead. Elizabethtown goalie Margo Donlin turned away seven shots over a nine-minute span to keep the score at 2-1.
After the Blue Jays had weathered that storm, it was their turn to go on the offensive. The Eastern defense stood tall and refused to yield the game-tying goal. Berger made seven saves over the final 19 minutes to help preserve the victory.
Hayley Williams recorded two defensive saves in the span of a minute.
Berger's biggest save of the match came with seven minutes left to play. An Elizabethtown forward played a ball to the back post that looked like it would an easy goal. Berger slid across the net to deflect the shot wide and preserve the victory for Eastern.
The Eagles recorded 14 shots in the match placing eight on net. The Blue Jays finished with 16 total shots. Berger made11 saves for her fifth straight double-digit save game of the season.
Eastern will host DeSales University on October 1st for an 11 a.m. game. The Eagles will honor members of the military who have served and are currently serving before their game against Bulldogs.
