Gettysburg Dodges Field Hockey in OT, 1-0

Keishla Sanchez
Keishla Sanchez

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College field hockey team (6-6, 0-5 CC) was edged in overtime by Gettysburg (9-5, 4-2 CC) Saturday afternoon. In an extremely tight and evenly-matched contest, the two squads were level in shots at 7-7 while the Bullets held a slight 5-3 corner advantage at the final buzzer. Julia Soares scored her ninth goal of the season four minutes and 24 seconds into the seven-on-seven extra period to hand the hosts the victory.

The annual meeting between Gettysburg and Haverford was decided by just one goal for the fifth consecutive season. The contest was also the second straight overtime battle between the two programs. 

After a first period that was mainly a battle in the trenches, with neither side recording a shot or penalty corner, Haverford had some of its best scoring chances of the game in the beginning of the second stanza. Leela Krishnan saw a shot attempt sail wide of the cage in the 22nd minute before Delaney Snowden hit the post with her snipe during the 26th. On defense, the Fords successfully turned away a pair of Gettysburg corner attempts in the closing minutes of the half to send the contest to intermission in a scoreless tie. 

In the third, Haverford controlled the offensive tempo with Ariana Sulpizio firing a shot on frame and Anna Kirn later missing wide. Gettysburg did not record an offensive chance in the stretch.

Keishla Sanchez and Dalia Bercow both had strong attempts to open the fourth, with Bercow forcing Jillian Caputo into action for her second save of the contest in the 52nd minute. Sanchez later rocketed an attempt on frame in the 54th minute. Gettysburg went on the offensive with a pair of late penalty corners, but the stout Haverford defense blocked a shot on the first attempt before Sunny Truslow made her first save of the contest in the 58th minute to deny the second salvo. 

Arden Scheetz had a shot sail wide just seconds into the overtime period for Gettysburg before Soares found the cage in the fifth minute of the extra period. With Gettysburg gathering possession around midfield, the Bullets forward shot from the top right of the circle, sending a shot weaving through the defense and towards the far post to hand the Bullets victory.

Sanchez joined Soares and Emma Bertrando of Gettysburg as the only three players with multiple shots in the contest.

Haverford now returns home for a pair of games next week, taking on Washington College on Wednesday, October 16 (5 p.m.) before hosting McDaniel on Saturday, October 19 (1 p.m.).