WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Catholic University field hockey team's run for a Landmark Championship came to a close with a heartfelt battle against Scranton in the semifinal round of the Landmark Tournament on Wednesday night. 

The Cardinals allowed an early goal to go down 1-0 in the second quarter and neither side found the back of the cage for the rest of the contest.

Catholic came out of the gates aggressively attacking on the offensive end. They recorded four shots and two penalty corners in the first two minutes of action. The Royals came storming back with three shots and two penalty corners of their own before the opening 15 minutes expired. 

The second quarter found Scranton controlling the majority of possession, but the Cardinal defense held strong. Junior Emma Shallow and graduate student Gracie Burford made significant contributions, disrupting multiple passes to help support goalkeeper Abigail Kearney. Kearney recorded five saves on the day and kicked away a few threatening crosses to keep the Cardinals in the contest. 

The Royals' goal came with just over a minute remaining before the halftime horn. Scranton was awarded a penalty corner on the far side after a whistle against the Cardinals. The ball was played into the top of the arc and fired towards the cage. A scramble in front saw multiple bodies in the way, but Annie Shaw was in the right place at the right time to redirect it past the crowd. 

Opportunities for both squads were seen in the final quarter. The Cardinals had a woman-up advantage for over four minutes to start the fourth after a yellow card was issued to Scranton but could not convert. They continued to play with fervent intensity and earned three back-to-back corners to put the Royals on their heels. Solid defensive play left the game with a one-goal spread. 

This season saw Catholic beat two nationally ranked teams and went 8-1 during the Landmark regular season to earn the number two seed in the tournament. They won their last seven regular season contests and outscored their opponents 26-2 during that stretch. The team combined for 37 goals on the season, led by Niki Micciche who caged nine, followed by seven from Mary Parker and four from Mary Rojack. They also distributed 25 assists, six coming from Parker and four from Lauren Keast.