Drew field hockey came close, but could not upset #18 Juniata on a cold and blustery day at Ranger Stadium.
The Rangers tied the game at 1-1 early in the second half on
Sarah Charles' goal, but saw the Eagles' Kim Amrod score the winner just a few minutes later to secure the 2-1 Juniata victory.
Lauren Fasano had a terrific day in goal for the Rangers with ten saves.
Juniata remains in first place in the Landmark with a 5-0 record in conference play while Drew drops to 10-5 overall, 2-2 in the Landmark.
The Eagles overran the Rangers in the first half as Drew came out sluggish in the opening period. In fact, if not for some goaltending heroics by Lauren Fasano the Rangers would have trailed by far more than the solo goal scored by Shauna Deschenes in the 11th minute. Fasano made an initial save, but Deschenes was right in front of goal to flip the rebound into the net for the opener.
Fasano kept the Rangers in the game by making all ten of her saves in the first period. She denied Meghan McGlone from distance and then Paula Price from close range before the 20 minute mark, but her best save came late in the period. With just four minutes left, Price, the Landmark's leading scorer, had a breakaway with just Fasano to beat. The Ranger sophomore smothered Price's attempt, coming off her line with speed, to preserve the 1-0 scoreline.
After the break, the Rangers came out much better. Nicole DiBattista forced Denalyn Spratt into a pair saves before Sarah Charles scored the equalizer. Off DiBattista's blast from a corner insert, Charles gathered the rebound to slam home from close range in the 39th minute of play. The goal is the first-year's sixth of the season.
The Rangers looked in good shape, but a defensive mistake gifted the Eagles their second goal. Kim Amrod outmuscled a Ranger defender to steal a ball deep in the Drew back field. Amrod made a nice fake to move Fasano before stuffing under the keeper, restoring the one goal lead just two minutes after Drew tied it up.
The Eagles kept pushing forward for an insurance goal and, for a while, pinned Drew in its own half for an extended period. Hannah Rau came up with two key defensive saves, off Amrod and then Deschenes, before the Rangers called a timeout with 15 minutes left.
The short break changed all the momentum. Drew poured forward looking for the tying goal and coming close a number of times. Charles was denied her second by a nice save from Denalyn Spratt in the Juniata goal. Both DiBattista and Howlett had shots blocked by Eagle defenders before both fired just wide of goal in the final five minutes of play. Despite the pressure, the Eagles were able to hold off Drew for the 2-1 win.
The loss drops the Rangers to 2-2 in the Landmark and 10-5 overall. Drew has two conference games remaining on its schedule, but both a tough ones. The Rangers host Catholic on Saturday at 1 pm before traveling to Susquehanna on the 31st for the season finale.
Juniata Eagles (12-4, 5-0) vs. Drew Rangers (10-5, 2-2)
Date: Oct 17, 2009 Attendance: 117
Weather: Rainy and cold
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Juniata Eagles...... 1 1 - 2
Drew Rangers........ 0 1 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 11:15 JUNFH Shauna Deschenes (unassisted) - rebound first touch
2. 38:43 DREW Sarah Charles (unassisted) - rebound first touch
3. 41:19 JUNFH Kim Amrod (unassisted) - defensive mistake 29 under keeper
Shots: Juniata Eagles 18, Drew Rangers 12
Saves: Juniata Eagles 3 (Denalyn Spratt 3), Drew Rangers 10 (Lauren
Fasano 10)
