By Alex Kurtz, Sports Editor
Thanks to a hat trick from sophomore attack Hunter Pitman, the Susquehanna field hockey team improved to 8-7 on the season with a 3-0 win over Randolph-Macon.
With her performance, Pitman also improved her team- leading amount of goals to 14.
Sophomore goal keeper Emily DiGaetano recorded the shutout win for the River Hawks. She recorded nine saves on the day.
Scoring started early for the River Hawks as Pitman put in her first goal of the game just 1:35 into the game.
The score would be the only one of the half and Susquehanna would go into halftime with a 1-0 lead over the non-conference foe.
In the second half, Pitman would record her second goal of the game in the 56th minute on a rebound from her own initial shot to give the sophomore her second unassisted score of the game.
Pitman would finish her hat trick with just seven seconds left when senior midfielder Cayla Spatz set her up with pass at the top of the circle for her final score.
Dispite the appearance of a blowout, the game was much closer than it appeared.
Both teams were close in shots on goal (11-9 Susquehanna), saves (9-6 Susquehanna), and fouls (14-13 Susquehanna).
The only major difference in stats was in penalty corners, where the River Hawks had eight compared to the three from Randolph-Macon.
Susquehanna returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 21 where they take on Landmark Conference-foe Elizabethtown at home. It will also be senior day for the River Hawks on Saturday.
Five seniors: defenseman Julia Hasircoglu, attack Jordan Burkepile, defensman Abbey Kemble, goal keeper Courtney Purnell, and mid-fielder Cayla Spatz will be honored during the pre-game ceremony at midfield.
The Blue Jays come into the game with a 7-8 record (3-2 Landmark) and are com- ing off a 3-1 loss to Rowan.
Rowan (10-5) started the half off strong as they were able to score three goals in the first half, and the Blue Jays were not able to come back despite adding one goal in the second half from a re-direct from graduate-student Charity Good.
Last season, the River Hawks fell to the Blue Jays 6-4 during their matchup in the regular season, and then fell once again in the Landmark Conference Championships 1-0 in a double-over- time heartbreaker.
