Sunday's Scoreboard
Kent State 3, St. Louis 0
Bellarmine 2, Ball State 1
Davidson 2, Central Michigan 1
Lehigh 3, Longwood 2
Northwestern 6, Miami 2
Story Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Kent State 3, St. Louis 0
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State field hockey team (1-1, 0-0 MAC) defeated Saint Louis by a score of 3-0 this afternoon at Murphy-Mellis field.
The Golden Flashes got off to a hot start thanks to sophomore Katie Wuerstle. Wuerstle scored two goals in the first minute and 58 seconds to give Kent State a quick 2-0 lead. Sophomore Jenna McCrudden added a third goal at the 28:19-minute mark to add to a lead the Flashes would never relinquish.
Kent State led in total shots (15-10) and shots on goal (8-5), while the two teams tied in penalty corners (4-4). Fifth year goalkeeper Azure Fernsler and freshman goalkeeper Cecile van Eijck combined for the shutout win.
The Flashes will host their third game in a row on Tuesday, Aug. 31 against the Ohio State Buckeyes at 4 p.m.
Bellarmine 2, Ball State 1
Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine Field Hockey Team didn't have to wait too long for its first D1 victory this season as the Knights pulled off a 2-1 upset over Ball State in their season opener on Sunday evening at Trager Stadium.
Bellarmine junior Amber Hofenk Jerembo rifled in a shot off a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter that proved to the difference maker. The Knights had taken a 1-0 lead into halftime after Teresa Schmidt found Peyton Hobson just in front of the goal, and the sophomore finished the play early in the second period.
The Cardinals, who were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference this season, notched their long goal late in the third quarter when Maya Guinn deflected in a hard cross from Augustina Guidace during a penalty corner.
The victory was particularly sweet for the Knights, who return all but one player from last year's squad that went 0-13 as Bellarmine made the transition to DI.
"Wow! What a feeling," exclaimed Bellarmine Coach Devanny Boisvert. "It has definitely been a long time coming especially after a challenging season in the spring. I am so proud of this group. We've come a long way and have progressed so much in a short period of time. The energy from the sideline to the field to the fans in the stands was unmatched. This group had made history--first Division I win with Bellarmine field hockey. They will go down in the history books."
Although Bellarmine won "the war," Ball State was victorious in a number of the "battles" inside the game. The Cardinals owned advantages in shots (16-7) and penalty corners (12-6), but the Bellarmine defense stiffened when necessary. Goalkeeper Breanna McWhorter made eight saves and freshman Isabel Gladys picked up a defensive save in her first official collegiate game.
"We've worked so hard to get this to moment," Boisvert said of her team's play. "We've invested a lot of time and energy into our positioning, defensive tactics and possession piece. It was so nice to see it come together but also see when things weren't perfect, that we became a gritty team and dug deep until the end. Ball State is such a strong defensive team so having the opportunity to get two goals in was huge for us. Ball State made some nice adjustments at half time and made it difficult for us to stay organized, but I'm proud of our girls for fighting until the end."
Bellarmine's next action comes on Friday, Sept. 3 when they travel to Oxford, Ohio for a neutral site contest against Rider. The game will be played at Miami University.
Davidson 2, Central Michigan 1
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Davidson scored two second-half goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit on Sunday in handing Central Michigan a 2-1 field hockey loss at Cristy Freese Field.
The game capped the season-opening weekend for CMU, which dropped a 3-2 decision to Indiana on Friday.
CMU took the lead 1-0 in the second quarter on a Kate Biglin goal, assisted by Caroline Beairsto and Rachel Ruttenberg. The score came off of a penalty corner at the 20-minute mark in the game.
Davidson tied it with a goal less than five minutes into the second half and then got the game winner early in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats finished with a 15-11 edge in shots including an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Maxim recorded five saves in 55 minutes. She was pulled for the extra attacker in the final five minutes.
Central Michigan is scheduled to entertain No. 2 Michigan in a nonconference game on Sunday, Sept. 5 (1 p.m.).
Lehigh 3, Longwood 2
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lenke Havas was a force on offense for Lehigh on Sunday afternoon, and the Mountain Hawks (1-1) rode past Longwood field hockey 3-2 behind a career day from the fifth-year senior.
Havas tallied all three of her team's goals for her first career hat trick, with her third goal proving to be decisive late in the third quarter. She banged home a penalty stroke with six minutes to play in the quarter, and Lehigh's backline managed to hang on against a ferocious Longwood (1-1) rally in the final 15 minutes.
Luna Lopez and Kate Frey each found the back of the cage for a Longwood side that was aggressive in the second half after struggling to unlock the reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year in Maddie Kahn in the opening 30 minutes. The Lancers ripped off eight shots in the fourth quarter alone, forcing Kahn to make four saves, as they outshot Lehigh 15-9 for the match with nine shots on goal.
Penalty corners proved to be pivotal for the two teams, with both sides scoring two goals apiece off corners. After Havas hit a low shot on a penalty corner into the back of the cage in the first quarter for an early 1-0 Lehigh lead, the two defenses locked down and snuffed out other opportunities. The two offenses combined for one shot in the second quarter.
After halftime, things opened up when Lopez slotted home her first goal of the season on a penalty corner off a direct feed from Jamie Wright to even the score at one.
Havas struck right back, driving home a low show off a penalty corner six minutes later to re-establish the Lehigh lead. She added her penalty stroke for the hat trick less than three minutes later.
The Lancers regrouped and charged ahead in the fourth, with Frey batting home a rebound past Kahn on a penalty corner with less than seven minutes to go, but the Mountain Hawks held on.
Longwood returns to Farmville for the team's home opener on Friday night to host Towson at 5 p.m. at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Northwestern 6, Miami 2
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Miami University field hockey team dropped a 6-2 decision on Sunday afternoon to the No. 4 Northwestern University Wildcats.
How it Happened:
After a scoreless 15 minutes of action, Miami's Morgan Sturm gathered in a rebound and snuck it past the Northwestern goalkeeper for a 1-0 RedHawks advantage early in the second quarter.
The Wildcats scored five minutes later off of a penalty corner to knot the score at one apiece.
NU took a 2-1 lead late in the first half, converting a goal off of a rebound.
Northwestern added two more goals early in the third before Claudia Negrete Garcia scored off a penalty corner to close within 4-2.
The Wildcats added one final goal in the third and another in the fourth for the 6-2 final tally.
