Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Hayden Lange
Susquehanna field hockey lost a tough 1-0 game vs Scranton at home in a rainy game on Saturday in the Landmark Conference opener.
The Royals’ (6-2 Overall, 1-0 Landmark) Maddie Slayvin found the back of the net with four minutes remaining in the first quarter to take the early 1-0 lead over the River Hawks (2-8 Overall, 0-1 Landmark).
Despite the early goal, the River Hawks fought the rest of the game with strong defense and many opportunities on offense.
“It was a tough loss, especially when the only goal was so early. But I’m really proud of how everyone stepped up and pushed forward at the end of the game with the rough conditions,” said Head Coach Allison Fordyce.
Susquehanna had several scoring opportunities, with Junior Midfielder Samara Campenni putting up two shots on goal in the first quarter of the game.
After the score, Susquehanna came out with heavy pressure on offense in the second quarter.
With the newfound aggression, Susquehanna earned five penalty corners which resulted in scoring opportunities. Senior Forward Taylor Rothermel and Junior Forward Jada Thompson both put shots on goal.
Senior Midfielder Hannah Garlin and Campenni both put-up shots on goal in the third quarter that weren’t able to find the back of the net.
The fourth quarter saw more push from the River Hawks offense to tie up the game, with more shots put up on goal and two more penalty corners. But Scranton’s defense kept it away from the net.
Susquehanna put up 11 shots in the afternoon to Scranton’s five. Susquehanna had eight shot attempts on goal as Scranton had three. The River Hawks also had seven penalty corners where Scranton had one.
Fordyce said, “I think our offense was very aggressive in the second half which is great to see.”
Campenni led the River Hawks on the day with three total shots, all of them being on goal. Rothermel put up two shots on goal on the day. Senior Goalkeeper Kylie Schmidt played the whole game and made two saves.
The match was the first game against a landmark conference opponent for both squads this season. With the loss Susquehanna is now 2-8 in the season and 0-1 in Landmark Conference play, with more conference opponent upcoming on their schedule.
The River Hawks will look to get back on track when they matchup against Suny Cortland Wednesday, Sept 30 at home against SUNY Cortland at 2 p.m.