MADISON, N.J. – Sophomore
Karine Johnson scored the game's lone goal early in the second quarter and the Drew University field hockey team defeated Goucher College 1-0 in its Landmark Conference opener Saturday afternoon in a windy Ranger Stadium.
Prior to the start of the game, the team's four seniors –
Carolyn Brown,
Caroline Larsen,
Emma Rider, and
Liriana Seferovic – were honored in a brief ceremony.
Goucher (3-5, 0-1 LC) held an 11-8 advantage in total shots, but the Rangers (3-5, 1-0 LC) held the Gophers to just two shots on goal. Both were saved by freshman
Vanessa Pennella, including a stop in the final seconds to secure her first career shutout.
Johnson struck just over a minute into the second period, taking a pass at midfield and coasting all the way in, evading a defender before driving in a shot from the right elbow.
It proved to be all the offense Drew would need, as the defense did not yield a shot on goal through the first three quarters. In the final period, Pennella stopped a shot off a corner with just over seven minutes to go before the Gophers earned two more corners down the stretch, including one with just 13 seconds left. But Pennella knocked away a shot from point-blank range just before the final horn.
The Rangers pick up their schedule on Wednesday, when they visit Delaware Valley University in a non-conference tilt starting at 7 p.m.
