Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Ashley Nace
The Susquehanna field hockey team fell 2-1 to Catholic in Tuesday night’s game at Sassafras Field.
The Cardinals (8-7 Overall, 6-1 Landmark) outshot the River Hawks 13-11 (5-12 Overall, 3-4 Landmark) with each team claiming eight shots on goal in a tight match.
The first half proved to be all Catholic, as Maddie Pennisi scored a goal 26 minutes into the match after some back and forth play. In the second, Tess Hake added to the Cardinals lead with a goal only five minutes into the third quarter.
Down by two, Susquehanna junior Jada Thompson earned the team’s lone goal late in the fourth quarter in their gritty come-back attempt.
“We have been doing a lot of attacking, generating like under the 25 and working on getting like the dirty touches, the dirty tips,” Thompson said about her goal.
With three minutes left, the River Hawks removed goalie Taytum Lombardi and left the net empty to add another field player in attack.
The River Hawks held the ball in the Cardinals end, earning a penalty corner and a shot for junior Kiara Koeller in the final 10 seconds of the match, but they couldn’t find the back of the cage.
Susquehanna’s Samara Campenni had the first shot of the game 1:11 into play.
Bailey Neff, Isabel Goncalves, and Thompson also had shots in the first. Catholic produced one that was saved by Lombardi.
“Our goal is to score first because that brings a lot of momentum for the rest of the game,” Thompson said.
Koeller had the first shot of the second, but Catholic went on a tear with five minutes left in the half, collecting four corners, three shots, and a goal.
Catholic and Thompson each got off shots early in the third before Catholic banked their second goal.
The Cardinals had two more shots before the quarter ended.
Catholic had three shots at the start of the fourth before the River Hawks took the momentum.
Susquehanna junior Asia Daskalakis got two penalty corners and Sydney Jordan took two back-to-back rips at the net before Thompson scored.
“We just have to all be on the same page,” Thompson said. “I know it didn’t go our way, but we really did see that in the first and fourth quarter that when we’re all in it together, we all have that high energy and momentum, that we can do it and we can generate that attack.”
Lombardi made four saves on the night while defenders Lexi Kresge and Hannah Garlin each tallied a defensive save.
Thompson said that the team is not playing for more games for its seniors.
“We want to just see how far we can go. We’re playing for another game on turf,” Thompson said.
The River Hawks are on the road on Saturday, Oct 24 as they take on Lycoming at 1 p.m., followed by the season finale at Goucher on Tuesday, Oct 26.