Box Score
ST. DAVID'S, Pa. – William Paterson (4-3) owned a 2-1 lead but could not hold on against host Eastern (6-3), losing a 4-2 field hockey decision Sept. 22.
Hope Donnelly scored the first goal 10 minutes into the contest. Elya Troup pushed the ball up the right side line, and after beating her defender and finding a little bit of daylight, she fired across the circle to a waiting Donnelly. Donnelly deposited the ball in the right corner of the cage, giving the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
The lead would be short lived, as the Pioneers responded 10 minutes later when
Chelsea Winkelspecht (Sicklerville, N.J./Washington Twp.) redirected
Ally Hartman's (Pemberton, N.J./Pemberton Twp.) cross past Eastern goalie Laura Ressler to knot the score at 1-1.
William Paterson proceeded to take the lead seven minutes before the half. Senior
Christina Ayusa (Runnemede, N.J./Triton) ripped her initial shot from the top of the circle. After Ressler's save, Ayusa shot again, and
Jodi Feriod (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) put the goal away as she redirected the ball to the left corner of Eastern's cage. The first half would end 2-1 in favor of the Pioneers.
Two minutes into the second period, Lindsay Moyer fired off of a Yvonne Herbster penalty corner. WP senior goalie
Christina Auger (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) stepped in to save the shot, but Herbster hustled in from the left side and pushed the ball back to the middle where she found the stick of Christin Haas. Haas squeezed her shot between the stretched out Auger and the left post, evening the score at 2-2.
Three and a half minutes later, Eastern seized the lead. Herbster started the attack with a penalty-corner pass to Donnelly at the top of the circle. Donnelly slipped the ball down to the left, where once again Moyer took a powerful shot. Auger kicked the ball away, but right back into the awaiting stick of Moyer. Moyer returned the pass back to Donnelly, who pushed the ball into the back of the cage, giving Eastern a 3-2 lead.
Eastern was able to pick up an insurance goal with 19 minutes remaining. Sarah Garber scored the fourth and final goal for the Eagles after her penalty-corner pass to Brittany Moyer was crossed back down to the left side of the cage. Garber stepped into the field of play, charged the cage and fired.
Ressler had 11 saves for Eastern, while Auger made 15 stops for the Pioneers.
William Paterson will host No. 4 The College of New Jersey Friday, Sept. 25, at 7:00 p.m.
