DALLAS, Pa.– Eastern University Field Hockey stayed alive in the MAC Freedom post-season hunt with a 3-2 win at Misericordia in the team's final conference road match. The Eagles (5-10, 2-3 MAC Freedom) scored the game-winner with just over five minutes to play.
How it Happened:
The Eagles broke the tie late on a penalty corner goal.
Joelle Wash took the insert from
Becky Howard and smacked a shot that popped in the air off a defenders foot. Howard, a pretty good hitting outfielder for Eastern's softball team, made solid contact on the ball at waist height and tapped in her second goal of the match and third of the year.
After the Cougars scored in transition in the first quarter, neither team found much in terms of offense in the second quarter.
Howard leveled the game at 1-1 with a tap-in goal on a penalty corner that finished much better than it started. Howard's insert went short and had to be rescued. Wash got the ball under pressure from the players running back from midfield and hit an initial shot that bounced around.
Abigail Geisler had a chance for a turn-around shot, but she let the ball go to
Harper Sellers who was facing forward. Sellers pushed the ball to the back post where Howard put it away.
Moments later, the Eagles made it 2-1 on shot from a tight angle by
Ali Balmer. Running to her right, Balmer was able to lift a shot over the goalie's blocker and inside the far post.
The Eagles held the 2-1 lead at the break, but the Cougars (8-9, 2-3) found an equalizer on a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had an 8-3 edge in shots in the match and a 3-2 advantage in penalty corners. With the win, the Eagles move into a 5-way tie for third place in the league. Eastern will play Stevens, one of those teams on Saturday, and now has wins over two other teams in that category. If the Eagles win out in the league, they will be no worse than fourth in the final standings.
Coach Azzarano says:
"Our defensive unit stepped up tonight and our seniors made big-time plays. This was a great team win."
Up Next:
The Eagles host Stevens at 11:00 am on Saturday. The squad willhonor seniors
Ali Balmer and
Becky Howard for the