LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University field hockey team (2-6) hosted the No. 13 ranked Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (7-2) on Friday, Sept. 22. The Lady Eagles stormed back from a 3-0 deficit but the Hawks held on for a 5-3 victory.
“It took a lot of heart for the girls to come back after getting scored on for three goals in the first quarter,” said Lock Haven head coach Anna Rogers. “Many teams would just stop playing at that point and they came out hard. They were trying to work together and they came back and put three goals into the game. There’s a lot of positives, we’re not settling for losses, and we’re just going to let it go and continue to work hard.”
Before the start of the game, Lock Haven honored legendary head coach Pat Rudy after a 45-year career. Rudy spent 27 years as the head coach of the field hockey team totaling 388 wins.
“It’s one of those [moments] where you focus on the game, but you want to celebrate someone as well,” Rogers said. “We wanted to do something special for her and this is the least we can do. It was great that we could honor her at her favorite field. She loved this place and we hope to keep her legacy alive and celebrate her.”
Saint Joseph’s got things going early to take a 3-0 lead. Leigh James scored on an assist from Celeste Smits. Smits then scored a goal of her own. Hailey Bitters also scored for the Hawks.
The Lady Eagles’ first goal came in the second quarter on a successful shot by Gracyn Catalano. Bitters scored her second goal for the Hawks to give Saint Joseph’s a 4-1 lead at the break.
Lily Santi scored the fifth and final goal for the Hawks. Elien Bos and Constanza Lopez Zabala each added a goal for Lock Haven with assists from Anna May Barbusca and Brooke Hofsass, respectively.
Haven goalkeeper Kelsey Felix finished with six saves.
UP NEXT:
Lock Haven will hit the road for an Atlantic 10 Conference contest against Richmond on Friday, Sept. 29. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.
