SALISBURY, Md. – Down one in a zero-time situation,
Dakotah Trader scored the tying goal and
Devon DeGregory won it with an overtime penalty stroke, giving the third-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team an astounding 3-2 win over the ninth-ranked Messiah Falcons on Saturday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Falcons authored the opening strike five minutes into the first quarter. After the Sea Gulls got in front of one shot, Aubrey Clark deflected a cross pass to Addie Weiler, who deposited it into the cage to put MU up 1-0.
Salisbury had a prime chance to answer early in the second, firing off three shots in a row at close range, but the first shot hit the post, Addie Musser made a defensive save on the second, and keeper Joy Lippert kicked away the third. Neither side had a decent goal-scoring change the rest of the period, and the Falcons skated into halftime up one.
The Sea Gulls drew even early in the third quarter. Set up with a foul,
Regan Worley launched a deep pass through the air that found the stick of
Alex Kupper, who weaved through two defenders and pushed it into an open cage, tying the score at 1-1. Messiah punched back four minutes later, though, as Weiler fed Naomi Lyter, who tucked it home from close range to put the Falcons back up 2-1 by the end of the third.
After controlling the tempo for much of the fourth quarter, SU finally got its chance with three penalty corners inside the final 20 seconds. The third began with 1.7 seconds left on a DeGregory pass to
Ryan Lowe at the top of the circle; with no time left, Lowe fired it on target and Trader deflected it in past Lippert, drawing the Sea Gulls even at 2-2 and forcing overtime in dramatic fashion.
Neither side could break through in the first extra session, then in the second OT Weiler had a prime chance to win it for the Falcons, but
Maddie Castaneda made the kick save to set up an SU counterattack.
Tessa Gray worked it into the circle and was knocked down on a clear scoring chance, setting up a penalty stroke. DeGregory coolly stepped up to the spot and buried it low right corner as the goalie deked left, clinching the stunner for the Sea Gulls, 3-2.
GAME NOTES
- Devon DeGregory played the hero for the Sea Gulls, netting the walk-off overtime goal on a penalty stroke. She also assisted on SU's goal to force the extra session.
- Alex Kupper and Dakotah Trader each scored their second goals of the season.
- Regan Worley and Layla Kent notched one assist apiece.
- Maddie Castaneda registered three saves over 75-plus minutes in net, including the kick stop to set up Salisbury's breakaway-into-penalty stroke run in OT.
- The Sea Gulls outshot Messiah 19-9 overall, including 10-2 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
- The win was Salisbury's first overtime triumph since besting Washington College 1-0 on the road on Sept. 3, 2025.
The Sea Gulls will host another top-flight matchup on Wednesday when in-state rival and fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins comes to town. Opening pushback from Sea Gull Stadium is slated for 6 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
