Field Hockey Uses Two Late Goals to Beat Elmira, 3-1; Ducks Clinch No. 1 Seed in Empire 8 Tournament
HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 24, 2009) - The No. 20 Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team used a second half goal at 61:46 from sophomore Mallory Swanson to break a 1-all tie with Elmira College in conference play at the De Baun Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon. The Ducks added an insurance goal five minutes later from freshman Marguerite Chavez and went on to beat the Soaring Eagles by a final score of, 3-1. Lauren Griggs opened the scoring with a goal assisted by Chavez with 30 seconds left in the first period. The win moves the Ducks to 13-3 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8 and also locks up the top seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Field Hockey Championship.
The Ducks outshot Elmira 36-3 overall but Elmira’s senior goalkeeper Jalene McCulloch (Belleville, Ontario) was impressive, racking up 23 saves on the afternoon. The Ducks also ended the contest with a 24-3 edge in corners.
Junior goalkeeper Ellyn Griggs made one save in goal for her 13th win of the season.
The Ducks finally beat McCulloch 34:30 into the action. Chavez, the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week, made a run down the right side and fired a perfect centering pass to Griggs in front and she was able to put a shot into the left side of the net for her fifth goal of the season. It was the team-high sixth assist of ’09 for Chavez.
Elmira, who came into the game 0-13 overall and 0-4 in the conference, tied the contest 13:31 into the second half on a score from senior back Veronica Fernandez (North Berwick, Maine). She was able to deflect home a shot from sophomore Ashley Leja (Auburn, N.Y.).
The Ducks continued to dominate the action and finally broke the 1-1 tie with 9:14 remaining. Swanson was able to blast a shot from the left side across the goal and into the lower-left corner for the score. It was her eighth of the season and fifth game-winner.
Chavez tacked on an unassisted tally with a blast from the top of the circle. It was her seventh score of the year and came with 4:45 to play.
The Ducks will now host the conference tournament on November 7 and 8 at the De Baun Athletic Complex. Stevens has now defeated conference opponents in 14-straight contests and the Ducks have outscored Empire 8 foes 11-1 in 2009.
Stevens, ranked 20th in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 and 12th in the womensfieldhockey.com poll, will return to action when it hosts Washington & Jefferson College on October 31, at 11 a.m. It will be the final Empire 8 game of the season and it will also serve as Senior Day. For those unable to attend, the contest will be webcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com/main.php.
