WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Catholic field hockey team closed out the regular season on Tuesday evening with a home meeting against Juniata. The Cardinals earned a crucial Landmark Conference victory over the Eagles, winning 5-0 to clinch the second seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament.
Catholic set the tone early, taking the ball into the circle and looking for scoring opportunities just a minute in.
Lauren Keast took the first shot, followed by a shot from
Molly Romano and
Katie Flynn, both of which were saved by Juniata goalkeeper Kara Stringfellow. Catholic maintained possession, and
Hope Wagner tapped the ball into the goal to put Catholic on the board.
Romano quickly followed with a goal of her own, scoring in the sixth minute of game action to give Catholic a two-goal advantage. This was her fourth goal of the season.
Bella Reyes added a third goal for the Cardinals, her first of the season. Keast sent a strong pass through the circle where Reyes found an opening, sending the ball to the left side of the goal.
Sophia Bozzone made the start in goal for Catholic in the second quarter, her second appearance of the season. The Eagle defense held strong in the second quarter, allowing only one shot from Catholic that came from Wagner in the 28th minute of play. The Cardinals led 3-0 heading into the half.
Catholic continued to extend its lead in the second half, first with a goal from
Tessa Pearson, the first of her career. After Catholic earned three back-to-back penalty corners,
Tess Hake passed the ball to
Maddie Pennisi who drove the ball straight into the circle. Pearson added the perfect touch to send the ball past the goalkeeper and give the Cardinals a four goal lead.
Later in the quarter, Keast dribbled the ball into scoring position and found the back of the goal to grow Catholic's tally to five. This was Keast's third goal of the season.
Both teams looked for opportunities in the fourth quarter, but each defense held strong, and the Cardinals took the win, 5-0. This is their third straight shutout against the Eagles and seventh straight victory.
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Wagner is now tied alongside Flynn for first on the squad with six goals this season. Romano is tied with Pennisi for second-most goals on the Catholic squad with four apiece.
Camryn Lowman and Bozzone both saw time in goal against Juniata. Bozzone logged one save on the day.
The Cardinals close out the regular season with an overall record of 9-8 and a Landmark Conference record of 7-2. They have officially clinched a spot in postseason play as the second seed, earning a bye in the First Round of the Landmark Conference Tournament. Catholic will host the Semifinal Round on Tuesday, November 3. They will host the winner of the First Round game between the No. 3 Wilkes and No. 6 Susquehanna which takes place on October 31.
