Box Score SCRANTON, PA – The 13^th ranked York College field hockey squad used a locked down defensive effort to blank the University of Scranton 1-0 in the Spartans' season-opener on Saturday. The Royals got the first shot of the game but the Spartans did not allow another in the shutout effort.
The Spartans improve to 1-0 while the Royals fall to 1-1 with the loss.
 
How It Happened
• The first quarter was bereft of any offensive opportunities. Each team had one shot, one shot on goal and one save in the quarter. Scranton did have one penalty corner early while the Spartans did not earn one in the opening 15 minutes.
• The Spartans broke the seal 56 seconds into the second quarter as senior Katie Martino found the back of the cage for the 1-0 Spartan lead. The Spartans had two more shots in the quarter but the Royals kept them at bay as York took the 1-0 lead to the intermission.
• The third and fourth quarter were much of the same as the Spartan continued to apply offensive pressure only to have the Royals hold them off the board. While the Spartan offense was creating opportunities, the defense was stifling the Royals as Scranton went the final 56:28 of the game without a shot.
• Martino finished the game with three shots on goal while Hannah Huffman had four shots with two coming on target. York finished the game outshooting the Royals 12-1 including 9-1 in shots on goal. The Spartans had a dominating 15-1 edge in penalty corners.
 
Notes
The meeting was the first between the two programs … the Royals went 11-5 last year and had won their season opener on Friday against Muhlenberg … the Spartan defense continued their dominance from last year with the clean sheet … York recorded a school-record 13 shutouts last year … the Spartans held a team to just one shot for the third time in the last 23 games (at Wilkes, 9/3/22 and at Hood, 10/19/22) … senior forward Katie Martino picked up where she left off last year as she was the Spartans' leading scorer with 39 points on 18 goals and three assists … Martino scored nine of her goals on the road in 2022 ... York has won their last three season openers, all via the shutout. 
 
Up Next
The Spartans make their 2023 home debut on Wednesday evening when they host #2 Johns Hopkins University in a key regional contest. The game is slated for a 7:00 pm start at Kinsley Field.