YORK, PA – The York College field hockey
team picked up a non-conference win on Thursday afternoon, grabbing
a 4-0 result over visiting Wilson College. The Spartans move to
8-10 overall on the season while the Phoenix falls to 5-9.
After not playing a game in over a week, the Spartans came out
fast but struggled to score early in the contest. York held play in
the Wilson half of the field for much of the first 20 minutes,
bombarding the Phoenix cage with six shots and taking eight penalty
corners before the game's 23rd minute.
Sophomore forward Katie Dawkins (Easton,
Md./Easton) finally broke through for the game's
first score 23:56 into the contest. After a scrum in front of the
Phoenix net, the ball leaked over to sophomore midfielder
Allison Roush (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township).
Roush alertly played the ball to the left side of the goal where an
awaiting Dawkins recorded her third goal of the season.
Heading into the halftime break, the green and white held a
slight 1-0 edge despite outshooting their guests 14-0 and drawing
15 penalty corners. The Wilson defense played exceptionally well
during the opening frame, blocking numerous Spartan attempts on
goal.
The second frame would prove more comfortable for the Spartans
as the home squad notched a trio of goals in the half, all three
coming within a 6:06 span.
Junior Megan Spangler (Myerstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon
County) opened the second period scoring with her 15th
tally of the season at the game's 43:17 mark. Sophomore
forward Casey Lawrence (Abbottstown, Pa./Delone
Catholic) played a gorgeous diagonal ball from the top of
the circle to Spangler on the left side of the goal. Spangler
simply tapped home the service and gave York a 2-0 margin.
Spangler struck again only 1:35 later, slamming in a loose ball
on the goal line. Senior forward April McFarland (York,
Pa./Eastern York) ripped a shot from the right side of
goal that forced a Wilson player to make a defensive save. The
resulting rebound eventually came to rest just outside the goal
line allowing Spangler to register her team-leading 16th score of
2008.
McFarland capped the scoring with her 15th goal of her senior
campaign at the 49:23 mark. The Spartans played a ball from the top
of the circle, through the Phoenix defense and to the stick of
Dawkins who had gained position in front of Wilson's cage.
The sophomore deflected the ball to the left side of the goal where
McFarland provided the game's fourth and final tally.
For the contest, the Spartans held a huge 30-0 advantage in shots
and a 26-1 bulge in penalty corners.
Junior goalkeeper Claire Rekitzke (Seaford, Del./Seaford
Senior) takes the win the Spartan cage as she was not
forced to make a save in her 56:09 of work. Freshman Maggie
Schlauch (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) finished off the
final 13:51 to secure the shutout. Wilson's Nikola
Grafnetterova played a brilliant game for the Phoenix notching 17
saves including several sprawling stops to keep her team in the
contest.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, October 25, as they
host Frostburg State University in a 1:00 pm non-conference tilt.
Prior to the match, the green and white will honor their three
senior student-athletes, McFarland, Casey Knauss (St.
Michaels, Md./Easton), and Laurel Sturner (Cherry
Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), for their contributions to
the Spartan program.
MATCH BOX
Katie Dawkins photo courtesy of Scott Guise
