ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– One minute and seventeen seconds into overtime,
JoEl Groff tipped home her second goal of the day to lift Eastern University Field Hockey to 3-2 win over the visiting Gwynedd Mercy University Griffins (0-3). The goal came on the Eagles' 19th penalty corner opportunity of the afternoon.
The Eagles (2-2) dominated field position and opportunities through the first half, but the teams went to the break without a goal for either side. The Eagles had ten first-half penalty corners and a 6-0 edge in shots.
Both teams had a penalty corner early in the third quarter, but the game stayed mostly in the midfield. The Eagles finally broke through early in the 38th minute.
Kara Frantz won a loose ball on the left side and slipped a pass to
Morgan Unruh at the edge of the circle. The sophomore midfielder pushed the ball into space and hammered a shot toward the right post that slipped through a Groff screen.
The Eastern lead lasted only three minutes. The Griffins capitalized on their second and final penalty corner of the day. The Eastern flyer challenged aggressively, but a good move at the circle gave the visitors a numeric advantage. Ashley Berry slipped a pass toward the right post and Olivia Headley scored her first goal of the day. Ninety seconds later, Headley tapped one in from the other side to put Gwynedd Mercy up 2-1 with less than four minutes left in the third.
Like the Eastern lead, the GMU lead did not last long. Neveah Greene earned possession deep in the Eastern zone. The Eagles worked the ball up the right flank. Abbey Hakes served a ball into the circle that Unruh was unable to tap home. Groff ran down the cross, controlled it, and blasted in a shot to the back post with 96 seconds left in the third quarter.
Oddly enough, the goals came in a period where the Eagles did not have multiple penalty corners. With seven penalty corners in the frame, Eastern dominated play in the fourth. That advantage in chances, however, did not result in a goal and the teams prepped for overtime.
The physical advantage of having 18 penalty corners in regulation is that every player on the opposing team has to exert some level of extraordinary effort to defend the play or recover from midfield. That edge might have been the difference as the six Eastern field players on for overtime looked strong and reasonably well-rested. After a pair of restarts from outside the circle, Unruh earned a corner with pull-back move inside the circle.
With only three defenders on the line in overtime, the Eagles had a little more space. Unruh slipped a perfect insert to Frantz at the top of the circle. She ripped a shot on goal. Groff redirected the shin-high effort inside the right upright.
Eastern finsihed the match with a 19-2 edge in penalty corners and shots.
The Eagles will play at Lebanon Valley College on Saturday.
