YORK, PA – The ninth ranked York College field hockey squad earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swarthmore in non-conference action on Wednesday evening in York.
The game was scoreless until there were just over six minutes left in regulation as York found the back of the cage for the game-winner. The match was about as close as one could be as both teams battled in an entertaining Division III match-up.
The Spartans improve to 4-0 with their third one-goal win of the year and their second shutout. The Garnet fall to 1-3 with all three losses coming to nationally ranked squads.
 
How It Happened
• The first quarter saw the Spartans carry the run of play early. York had three corners and one shot over the opening six minutes of play. The Garnet wrestled away the momentum and hit the Spartans with a furious burst that saw the guests fire off four shots in a 47 second flurry. The Garnet put all four shots on goal with goalie Belle Fields registering three saves while Libby Wild made a defensive save on the final shot of the barrage.
• As action packed as the first quarter was, the second quarter was bereft of much action in the scoring areas. The Spartans had a shot and a penalty corner in the period while Swarthmore had one corner in 15 minutes of play.
• The third period was similar to the first quarter. The Spartans had their flurry early in the stanza as Tori Heiserman started the run with a great play as she pressured the Swarthmore defense, forcing a turnover inside the circle. She had the ball coming in on the goal but her shot sailed wide 1:40 into the second half. York had four corners and five shots over a four-minute span as they applied heavy pressure to a stout Garnet defense. Swarthmore responded with a penalty corner and a pair of Magdelana Jordan shots but Fields made another save while the second shot was wide. Each team had a shot in the final five minutes of the quarter as the teams headed to the fourth in a scoreless game.
• Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Garnet drew a penalty corner. Erin Coyle fired a shot on goal but Fields made another save for York. The Spartans drew their ninth and tenth penalty corners of the night in the 54^th minute of play. The second corner they finally found pay dirt as Riley Buschert inserted the ball to the top of the circle for Wild. The senior defender wound up and drove the ball toward the cage. Freshman Bella Reiss tipped home the pass for the 1-0 lead with 6:12 left in regulation. The Garnet got one final shot from Coyle with 1:58 but the shot was wide as the Spartans closed out the clean sheet.
• The Spartans out shot Swarthmore 11-10 overall while the Garnet had a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Green and White held a significant 10-3 margin in penalty corners.
 
Spartan Notes
The meeting was the first between the two programs … the Spartans are now 13-1 at home dating back to the start of last season … the Spartans are now 3-0 in one goal games … York finished the game with a season-low 11 shots while the six shots on goal was their second lowest total of the year … York held Swarthmore to seven shots on goal, the third time they have held a team to seven shots on goal or less … senior goalie Belle Fields recorded her second shutout of the year with six saves … Fields is now 35-11 with 19 shutouts in her Spartan career the 19 shutouts sets a new school record for the Green and White … Fields is now six wins away from tying Megan Eckenrode's school record of 41 … senior Libby Wild collected her 10^th career defensive save, and third this year, before notching her first assist of the year on the game-winning goal … first year Spartan Bella Reiss scored her first collegiate goal for the game-winner.
 
Up Next
After playing three of their first four at home, the Spartans will hit the road in six of their next seven games. The Spartans start the road swing as they head to Ithaca, New York to face the #17 Bombers in a non-conference contest. The match is slated for 2:00 pm start. Five of York's next six games will come against teams currently ranked in the NFHCA Top 25.