The Rangers played well, but were unlucky in a 2-1 loss in field hockey action at Fitzpatrick Field against the The University of Scranton on Saturday. The loss is the Rangers' first in three Landmark Conference games. Meghan Howlett scored for the Rangers (9-3, 2-1 in Landmark ) while Kaitlyn Tirney scored the winner for the Royals (5-7, 1-2 LC).
Scranton jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, when first-year forward Gretchen Kempf tapped in a shot from 12 yards out on a cross served from the left sideline by sophomore midfielder Kaela Mahon in the fourth minute.
The Rangers evened it up 11 minutes later on the successful conversion of a penalty corner. Sophomore forward Meghan Howlett deflected a shot attempt by sophomore back Hannah Rau into the right corner of the cage for her eighth goal of the season.
Mahon came through for the Royals once again on the game-winning goal, crossing a ball from the left sideline past a number of Drew defenders to a wide-open Kaitlyn Tirney, who tapped in the pass from eight yards out for her second goal of the year.
Scranton's defense then took over. In the 47th minute, Ranger senior midfielder Nicole DiBattista drilled a shot that got past Scranton junior goalie Deirdre Rocklein and appeared to be headed into the cage. Royal junior back Roxanne Kuzio alertly knocked the ball away to end the scoring threat.
In the closing minutes, Kuzio cleared a couple of balls out of the Ranger end of the field when Scranton was forced to play two players down due to two players being assessed yellow cards. Senior forward Liz Carugan also made a heads-up play in the 66th minute to help seal the win, clearing a ball from deep inside Ranger territory and advancing it into the Scranton side of the field while taking valuable time off the clock.
Rocklein finished with five saves for Scranton, which now leads the all-time series, 17-15-2. Sophomore Lauren Fasano and senior Stef Rutkowski each played 35 minutes in goal for the Rangers and combined for five saves.
The loss changes the Rangers' outlook for the rest of the season a bit. At 2-1 in the Landmark, the Rangers now have games against the top two teams in the conference – Juniata and Catholic - at home in the next 14 days along with two non-conference matches beginning with Richard Stockton on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
- Many thanks to the Scranton Sports Information department -
Drew Rangers (9-4/2-1 Landmark) vs. Scranton (5-7/1-2 Landmark)
Date: 10-10-09 Attendance: 75
Weather: Overcast, 55 degrees, breezy
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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Drew Rangers........ 1 0 - 1
Scranton............ 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 4:54 SCRFH09 Gretchen Kempf (Kaela Mahon) - 12-yard blast
2. 17:42 DREW Meghan Howlett (Hannah Rau) - 18-yard blast off cross on corner 3. 41:13 SCRFH09 Kaitlyn Tirney (Kaela Mahon) - tap-in off cross from left perimeter
Shots: Drew Rangers 11, Scranton 10
Saves: Drew Rangers 5 (Stef Rutkowski 3; Lauren Fasano 2), Scranton 5
(Deirdre Rocklein 5)
Scranton snaps five-game losing streak with 2-1 win over Drew
