CARLISLE, PA – The York College field hockey squad ran into a buzz saw on Wednesday afternoon as they dropped a 4-0 decision at Dickinson College in a non-conference contest in Carlisle, Pa.

The Red Devils improve to 4-1 while the Spartans suffer their first loss of the year, falling to 4-1.

The game had special meaning for Spartan head coach Carly Zinn as she returned to the place where she was an assistant coach for three seasons. Zinn had a big hand in recruiting a number of players who now star for the talented Red Devil team.

Dickinson broke into the scoring column with just over 20 minutes remaining in the first half as Merritt Davis scored her first goal of the season off a pass from Amber Dey.

Just under ten minutes later, Alyssa Stillwell pushed the lead to 2-0 when she combined with Catherine Perimutter on a goal with 9:43 left in the opening 35 minutes of play.

Stillwell and Perimutter combined for another goal as Stillwell recorded her fifth goal of the year with 2:54 left in the first half.

The Red Devils outshot the Spartans 13-5 including 6-3 in shots on goal in the opening stanza.

Dickinson came out of the break looking to put the Spartans away. However, Spartan net minder Jessica Everett (Windsor, Pa./Red Lion) turned away the first three Red Devil shots in the second half to give the Green and White offense a chance to claw their way back into the game.

Unfortunately for York, the Spartan offense couldn't get any significant traction as the Red Devil defense continued to thwart the Green and White attack.

The Red Devils tacked on a Caroline Karwel goal with less than seven minutes remaining, providing for the final four-goal Dickinson margin of victory.

The Red Devils finished the game with a 23-8 advantage in total shots and a 14-4 bulge in shots on goal. The penalty corner count was much closer as Dickinson held a 11-9 margin in that category.

Everett finished the game with a career-high 10 saves as the freshman faced more shots than she had in any other game this year.

Dickinson's Emily Fuss earned the shutout as she made three saves on eight shots. In addition to her goal, Davis also had a defensive save for the Red Devils.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday afternoon when they host Juniata College in a non-conference contest. Game time is slated for 12:00 pm start at Kinsley Field.

Jessica Everett photo courtesy of David Sinclair