By Maximillian C. Burgos
Sports Editor
The field hockey team bounced back on Sept. 26, with a 3-0 win against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham at home. The Lions then traveled to William Paterson University on Saturday, Sept. 30, where they  shutout the Pioneers, 3-0.
Since their loss against No.4 ranked Salisbury University last week, the Lions have outscored and shutout opponents, 6-0. Senior Elizabeth Morrison commented on the Lions recovery.
"Although we suffered two losses in a row, they were both two top 5 teams," Morrison said. "Those games made us stronger and helped us realize what we needed to work on before playing conference games."
In the game against the Devils, the Lions shot 29 times. Fifteen of the shots were on goal. Devils goalkeeper Samantha Rubin made 10 saves in the game, but it was not enough to stop the onslaught of Lions shots.
Morrison was the first to put the Lions on the scoreboard. Freshman forward Tori Tiefenthaler passed the ball to Morrison who fired a closely placed shot past the goalie and into the net just 24 seconds into the game.
Morrison scored again in the 62nd minute. She had a long run down the right side of the field and finished the play on the left, blasting her second goal into the net. Morrison also had a hand in the final score of the game, assisting freshman midfielder Samantha Reed.
Reed then fired a shot from three yards out that found nothing but net. Morrison later commented on Reed's goal.
"Scoring is always great, especially getting the first goal so early on in the game, but I was most excited to assist Reed's first collegiate goal late in the game,"Morrison said.
Morrison ended the match with two goals and an assist. Reed also netted in a goal. Tiefenthaler had three shots on goal and an assist.
Senior goalkeeper Christina Fabiano accumulated five saves during the game, securing the win for the Lions.
On the road against the Pioneers, the Lions were accurate with their shots — 20 were on goal. Pioneers junior goalkeeper Mallory Rickerhauser managed to make an incredible 17 saves. It was not enough to stop the Lions who scored three goals in the first half.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Kayla Peterson scored the first goal for the Lions in the sixth minute. She dribbled past defenders to hit a shot from five yards out.
In the 17th minute of the game, Morrison passed the ball from the right side of the field to Tiefenthaler, who was waiting for the pass in front of the net. Tiefenthaler fired a goal from four yards out, building the Lions lead to 2-0. In the 31st minute, Tiefenthaler poked a goal in the far post, tallying the Lions a 3-0 lead.
At the end of the day, Tiefenthaler had two goals. Peterson also netted a goal and Morrison grabbed an assist. Morrison talked about the Pioneer matchup.
"Every NJAC game is tough because we all want to host the first round of the NJAC tournament in November," she commented. "Every team we play is tough competition, and it's always interesting to see how teams match up with each other year to year."
The Lions faced off against Rowan University on Oct. 3, and on Saturday, Oct. 7, the Lions will travel to Montclair State University for another conference matchup. The Lions have won 21 straight New Jersey Athletic Conference games, a streak they have been building since 2013.
