The College's field hockey team capped off a winning week with a 5-1 win against Ithaca College on Sunday.
Ithaca took an early lead, scoring at 20:26. But, Lion senior defender Lauren Wooster tied up the first half with a goal in the final seconds.
"After they scored on us, we realized we had to do something fast," Wooster said. "If the score is tied in the second half, it's like getting a fresh start."
The Lions (4-0) dominated the second half, and controlled the field for most of the remaining plays. An onslaught of shots yielded four goals for the Lions. Ithaca was no match for the agility of senior forward Jessica Hamway as she slammed the College's second goal. Rookie forward Meg Hess assisted.
Junior forward Colleen Stamler and freshman forward Jessica Berkowitz sank a goal each in less than a minute. Senior forward Christi Shore sealed the win with her goal at 65:31.
The Lions made good use of a home field advantage during Friday's game against Ursinus College.
The team recorded its second consecutive shutout, with a score of 4-0.
Rainy conditions forced the change of venue and the rescheduling of the game, originally set for Thursday, Sept. 4.
"We love playing at home," Wooster said. "It's exciting to have your family and friends come watch."
Senior midfielder Jackie Levy and Shore set the pace, with Levy sinking a goal at 17:14, with a followup by Shore two minutes later.
The second half saw Stamler score another point, assisted by freshman forward Allison Greene. Senior forward Danielle Bechtel assisted Greene to score the final point of the game at 68:54.
The Lions defeaed Division II's Millersville University, 3-0. Sophomore goalie Kristina Beyel was able to record her first career shutout.
Her block save in the second half dashed the Marauder's hopes of closing the score.
"Beyel is a sophomore, but we had a senior goalie last year," Wooster said. "She's stepped up and been reacting really well."
After a scoreless first half, the College picked up the pace as Shore and Greene sank a goal each. The final goal of the game was recorded by Berkowitz, assisted by Greene.
"Allison has a knack for good touches," Levy said. "She's naturally good at getting around defenders and finding the back of the cage."
Lion freshmen dominated match against with Cabrini College, scoring three of the College's five goals. In the Aug. 30 game, Berkowitz began her college career with two goals and Greene contributed two assists and a goal to help push the College to a 5-1 win over Cabrini College.
"The freshmen have been impressive," Levy said. "They've really have been connecting with the upperclassmen."
The Lions weren't without upperclass leadership. Shore and Stamler teamed up to give the Lions their first point at 8:30, while junior forward Sarah Moretti closed the game with her first career goal.
The team's eight seniors add more to the squad experience than those of previous seasons.
"Because we have so many seniors, it's really easy to work with each other," Levy said. "We know each other's styles and the system we want to play."
"We haven't even picked captains this year," senior defender Kate Flaig said. "We all lead as a unit and get along really well."
