Photo By Evie Stiner
By Cam Eberly
The field hockey team secured a home playoff game and remained perfect in Landmark Conference play with a dominating 3-0 victory against Juniata on Wednesday at Sassafras Fields Complex.
Susquehanna (12-4 overall, 7-0 Landmark) recorded their eighth shutout of the season as they cruised to a 3-0 victory behind three different goal –scorers. Kari Schmidt and Sarah McAndrews each scored their fifth goal of the season while Kate Ausmus tallied her first goal of the season. However, the highlight of the game was the Susquehanna defense, as they did not allow a single shot on goal throughout the whole game.
When asked about scoring her first goal, Ausmus said, “It felt great to score surrounded by my teammates at our home field with all our fans cheering us on.” She then went on to say, “It feels amazing to score and secure a home playoff game at the same time.”
The win also secured home-field advantage in the first round of the Landmark Conference playoffs, which will be played Oct. 28.
The first quarter was dominated by the River Hawks as they were putting pressure on the Juniata (5-10, 2-5) defense within the first minute of the game. After many close attempts, Kari Schmidt capitalized on a loose ball and gave Susquehanna a 1-0 lead. The rest of the quarter was primarily inside the Juniata box as the goalkeeper made many great saves to keep the game close. The River Hawks had six shots on goal and four corners in the first frame.
The second quarter was more of the same for Susquehanna. They had seven shots on goal and four more corners, one of them being Sarah McAndrews’ goal after she came flying into the box and added to the Susquehanna lead.
After the half, the Juniata defense stood strong as they did not allow any goals within the third quarter. Susquehanna was held to only two shots on goal and three corners in this quarter. But they were back to their old ways in the fourth quarter as Kate Ausmus scored a nifty goal with a backhand shot on a pass by Sarah McAndrews, which solidified the win and kept the conference win streak intact. “We have to trust our game plan and our coaching and know that we are prepared for whatever will come our way,” said Kate Ausmus about the upcoming games.
