Slippery Rock University’s women’s field hockey team picked up their first conference win Wednesday against the Seton Hill University Griffins at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Slippery Rock won the game by the score of 3-0.
All of SRU’s goals came in the first half with the first goal coming off the stick of sophomore forward Kayla Ulrich. That goal came right after a penalty corner by junior midfielder Kailie Reed. Ulrich’s goal came one minute and eight seconds into the game making it the third fastest goal scored to begin a game in Slippery Rock field hockey history. Senior defender Liz Wolfe assisted on Ulrich’s goal. The goal was Ulrich’s seventh of the season and the 18th of her career. Ulrich is now in sole possession of the sixth spot in program history in career goals. She has 16 points this season and has 40 points in her career. Wolfe’s assist was her first of the season and was one of two assists she recorded in the game.
More than nine minutes later into the game, freshman forward Jessie Trube scored her fourth goal of the year. Senior midfielder Hannah Simone was credited with the assist. The assist was Simone’s second of the year and Trube’s goal makes her tied for the most goals in a season by a freshman.
About five and a half minutes after Trube’s goal came The Rock’s next goal off the stick of freshman midfielder/defender Emily Polakovsky. The goal was Polakovsky’s second of the year and Hannah Simone assisted on the goal.
No goals for either side would be recorded for the game’s duration. The Rock’s sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Murphy recorded her second shutout of the year and improved her season record to six wins and eight losses.
Statistics for the contest proved The Green and White dominated offensively in the game. The most convincing of statistics was the shots recorded by The Rock which was 19. The Griffins had an unimpressive two shots recorded. Of SRU’s shots, 13 were shots on goal. Only one shot on goal was recorded by Seton Hill. Kayla Ulrich, sophomore forward Courtney Page, and Jessie Trube registered five shots each. Ulrich’s recorded five shots in four games this year.
The Rock’s 19 shots is a season-high for a game in 2018.
Ulrich has 32 shots recorded this year and Trube has 19 shots recorded this year. Ulrich and Trube lead The Green and White in shots recorded this season. Page is sixth in shots recorded on the team now with 12 shots recorded this season. Slippery Rock has seven players with at least ten shots recorded so far this year.
This game was the first since 2012 wherein The Rock did not surrender a penalty corner. SRU ended the game with seven penalty corners.
The lone bright spot for the Griffins was the play of their freshman goaltender Emma Jorgensen who made ten saves. Jorgensen has made 126 saves this season. Jorgensen did allow three goals in the game. Slippery Rock’s Maddie Murphy recorded zero saves and has 51 fewer saves than Jorgensen this year with 75 saves. Senior midfielder Sam Geroski recorded her first defensive save in the game.
Picking up their first win in the PSAC, SRU improves its overall record to six wins and eight losses and now holds a one win five loss record in conference play. Seton Hill remains winless with a zero win 13 loss record overall and a zero win six loss record in conference play. Seton Hill has allowed 69 goals this year while recording just four goals.
Slippery Rock University’s next game will be against the defending NCAA Division II champions fourth-ranked Shippensburg University Raiders who hold a ten win three loss overall record and a four win two loss PSAC record. Shippensburg has won the National Championship the past two seasons and has won three National Championships over the past five years. The Rock has gone 20 years without a win over Shippensburg.
The game will be an away match-up for Slippery Rock at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m.
