Box Score YORK, PA – On a gray
and soggy Saturday afternoon, the York College field hockey team
fell by a close 2-1 margin to visiting Capital Athletic Conference
foe Mary Washington. The Spartans (1-3, 1-1 CAC) played well
throughout the 70 minutes of action but came up just short against
the now 3-1 (1-0 CAC) Eagles.
Mary Washington opened the scoring in the
20th minute after a Florence George penalty corner.
George played the corner to the far right side where Jaci Marshall
knocked a service toward the Spartan cage. Following a brief melee
in front of goal, MacKenzie Sloan found the back of the cage to
tally the match's first score, her second of 2009.
Nearly 12 minutes later, the Spartans answered
on the heels of a beautiful combination. Freshman forward
Sandee Reich (Pitman, N.J./Glassboro) secured the
ball down on the left side of the Eagle goal where she connected
with Megan Spangler (Myerstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon
County). The senior captain struck a brilliant cross that
found the stick of Katie Dawkins (Easton,
Md./Easton) on the far side where she wasted no time in
notching the score, tying the match at one.
As the squads broke for half, the Green and
White held a slight 5-4 edge in shots as well as a 5-2 advantage in
penalty corners.
The second stanza proved to be a back and
forth affair as neither side gained the majority of the play.
Mary Washington did break through however, in
the game's 56th minute on Kaitlyn Ripley's
first goal of the season. The sophomore midfielder collected the
ball on the right side of the cage, five yards from the endline,
before unleashing a strike that flew into the far left side of the
Spartan cage. Ripley's tally would prove to be the
game-winner.
The Spartans had several opportunities to
answer once again as the game came to a close. York totaled three
shots and three penalty corners in the waning minutes but where
unable to push the match into overtime.
For the game, the Green and White held a 10-9
lead in shots while owning an 11-5 margin in penalty corners.
The Spartan defense held exceptionally well
throughout the contest, turning away attack after attack. Led by
defender Colleen O'Rourke (Milford, N.J./Delware
Valley), the Spartan backline continually thwarted the
Eagles during the 70 minutes of play.
All-CAC goalkeeper Claire Rekitzke
(Seaford, Del./Seaford Senior) kept the Spartans in the
match for the entire 70 minutes. Rekitzke notched five saves while
clearing away numerous dangerous chances. Mary Washington's
Chrissy Bowdren secures her third win of the year behind a
four-save performance.
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday when
they travel to Susquehanna University for a 4:30 pm non-conference
tilt with the Crusaders.
BOX SCORE
Megan Spangler photo courtesy of
Steve Doemland (www.stevedoemland.com)
