The Slippery Rock University women’s field hockey team lost to the No. 4 West Chester University Golden Rams by the score four to zero at Vonnie Gros Field last Saturday, September 22nd.
West Chester took the lead early and clung to it with their first goal coming a little under 25 minutes into the game when junior midfielder Katie Thompson scored her third goal of the year. Sophomore backer Caitie McNamara and senior midfielder Lily Friedman assisted on the goal. The game went into the half with the Golden Rams ahead one to zero.
More than six minutes into the second half Caitie McNamara added to West Chester’s lead making the score two to zero. Lily Feldman recorded the assist for the goal giving her two assists for the game. The goal was McNamara’s first of the season.
Additional goals scored by West Chester in the game were by senior midfielder/forward Sophie Ruppert and senior midfielder/forward Kaitlin Hatch. Ruppert’s goal was her first of the season and Hatch’s goal, which came off a penalty corner, was her second of the year.
Most noteworthy was SRU recording zero shots in the entire game. West Chester, on the other hand, had an astounding 31 shots in the game forcing The Green and White to rely heavily on defensive play. Sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Murphy played all 70 minutes in the game making 14 saves, a career high, while allowing four goals.
This game marked the first since a contest against Shippensburg in 2014 that Slippery Rock got no shots off.
West Chester had 15 penalty corners in the game. SRU recorded zero penalty corners.
Six players for the Golden Rams recorded multiple shots. Kaitlin Hatch had eight shots in the game. Katie Thompson had seven shots in the game. All of Thompson’s shots were shots on goal. Caitie McNamara had five shots in the game.
Hatch now has a team-leading 26 shots recorded this season for West Chester. Thompson is now second on West Chester’s team with 24 shots recorded on the year.
Senior defenseman Liz Wolfe recorded a defensive save in the game moving her up to fourth all-time in career defensive saves in program history. Wolfe has 14 career defensive saves. She is now four defensive saves behind Erin Moran who played for SRU from 2008 to 2011. Moran is third all-time in that category.
Slippery Rock University’s next game will be Sept. 25th at Mihalik-Thompson Field against the Mercyhurst University Lakers who are coming off a six to zero loss against East Stroudsburg. The Lakers take a one-win, four-loss record into the game. The game will take place at 7:00 PM.
