Field hockey clinches tournament spot with win over Holy Cross
October 25, 2018
After securing a 3-1 win on the road against Holy Cross on Oct. 20, the Bison field hockey team clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the 11th year in a row. The win brought the Bison to a 3-2 conference record and an 8-6 overall record for the season.
Despite falling behind early in the game, Sarah Dimock ’21 put the Bison on the board with her first goal of the season late in the first half. Dimock brought the ball into the arc and beat the Holy Cross goalie high to tie up the score 1-1.
Defender Sally Olson ’19 tacked on the second goal, which proved to be the game-winner for the Bison in the 45th minute. After the Orange and Blue earned a corner, Brittany Willwerth ’20 and Marisa Morakis ’20 assisted on a sweep sent to the near post, bringing the score to 2-1.
Forward M.C. Evans ’19 contributed an insurance goal later in the game to ensure the Bison’s spot in the Patriot League playoffs. Forward Chloe Poltonavage ’20 tallied the assist on Evans’s goal, sending a rocket into the circle from outside of the 25 yard-zone.
The Bison controlled the game by holding a 19-9 lead in shots, 13-3 advantage in shots on goal, and a 7-2 difference in penalty corners. Goalie Olivia Harris ’20 blocked two Crusader shots in the winning effort.
Despite a solid effort, the Bison fell 5-0 to No. 7 Penn State on Oct. 23 in a local non-conference match-up.
“This week has been full of opportunity for growth for our team. Having the opportunity to compete against a top-ranked team in the country forced us to push our tempo and come out of our comfort zone,” Poltonavage said. “Moving forward, there are a lot of things we were fortunate enough to fine-tune to really prepare for the [Patriot League Tournament].”
The Bison will next compete in their final Patriot League game of the season, taking on Lafayette on Oct. 27 at 2 p.m to determine what seed the Orange and Blue will be going into the tournament. On Oct. 28, the Bison will round out the season by taking on Appalachian State at 1 p.m., honoring the team’s seven seniors.
