SALISBURY, Md. – Down 1-0 at halftime, the second-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team erupted for four second-half markers in a 15-minute span on the way to a 4-1 statement win over the fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Wednesday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.
The first two quarters proved a defensive struggle, with neither side managing more than three shots on goal. Then in the 28th minute the Blue Jays finally broke through the SU line off a penalty corner. Evie Hamm took a shot that
Regan Worley got in front of for a defensive save, but Ava Zimmerman was there to take the deflection and punch it into the cage, giving JHU a 1-0 advantage at the break.
The Sea Gulls wasted no time getting the engine rolling after halftime. Granted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute,
Devon DeGregory served it in to
Layla Kent, who launched a rocket toward the net that
Dakotah Trader deflected in for the game-tying goal. Six minutes later,
Alex Kupper orchestrated a breakaway and fed Trader in the circle for a one-timer, putting SU ahead 2-1.
Salisbury made it three in the third as Kent took a feed from
Ryan Lowe and deposited it into the cage in the 44th minute, then in the 48th minute Kent returned the favor and fed Lowe for a laser strike to make it 4-1 early in the fourth. The Gulls coasted from there, holding the Jays to three off-target shots the rest of the way.
GAME NOTES
- Dakotah Trader scored a brace, with both goals coming in a six-minute span in the third quarter.
- Layla Kent notched four points via a goal and two assists, while Ryan Lowe added a goal and an assist of her own.
- Devon DeGregory dished out two assists on penalty corners, while Alex Kupper and Regan Nacrelli notched one helper apiece.
- Maddie Castaneda made one save over 60 solid minutes in the cage, and Regan Worley was credited with a defensive save.
- The Blue Jays outshot SU for the day 9-8, while the Sea Gulls held a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal.
- JHU won the penalty corner battle 8-5 but Salisbury cashed in five of its corners into goals.
The Sea Gulls will hit the road for the next two games, starting next Wednesday at Stevenson. Opening pushback from Owings Mills, Md., is pegged for 5:30 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.
