Donegal field hockey downs L-S, 5-0
MOUNT JOY — Adversity can come in many forms. The most frustrating kind is usually due to the opposing goalie.
The Donegal Indians turned adversity on its heels Monday night at the Donegal Athletic Complex, however, using a barrage of shots to get past Lampeter-Strasburg’s senior backstop, Autumn Peters, and overcoming some old-fashioned, physical play in a 5-0 victory over the Pioneers.
Donegal (3-0 overall, 2-0 section two) scored quickly to begin each half, including a laser from the wing by sophomore Mackenzie Allessie 58 seconds into the game.
Then in the second, sophomore Amanda Beck scored on a breakaway just 40 seconds in.
“That’s very important to us,” Beck said of the fast start in each half. “Trying to keep it out of our defensive end and scoring as quickly as we can.”
Lampeter-Strasburg (4-1 overall, 1-1 section two) was on a player-advantage to open the second half due to a protest of the abundant physical play in the first. Not long after Beck’s goal, a green-card gave the Pioneers a two-player advantage, but still Donegal found a way to maintain possession and go on the attack.
Twelve minutes into the second, Beck fed fellow sophomore Lily Saunders on a 3-on-2 rush for a four-goal lead, and finished up the scoring with fifteen minutes to play by rapping-home a rebound during a penalty corner.
“It went (off the cage) and a defender got it, and it was under her (stick) and I just pushed it in,” said Beck, who also handled the insert on the play.
In all, Donegal gained 20 penalty corners to just three for L-S, all of the Pioneers’ corners coming in the second half.
And while Donegal had 19 shots in the first half, only two of them found the cage as Peters made seventeen stops in the opening frame, finishing with 27 on the night.
“Just an unbelievable game,” said L-S head coach Katrina Swarr, attributing the opening goal of the contest to the “adrenaline” of a night-game atmosphere at Donegal’s new field. “(Peters) works hard every day to get better. My whole defensive unit just really came up big.”
Donegal’s other goal came in the first half, with Saunders passing to Cassy Stauffer on a corner.
With the Indians armed with the lead and the momentum midway through the first, the Pioneers did all they could to regain control, aggressively going after fifty-fifty balls and rushing up onto Donegal’s attacking midfielders.
“We responded to it and that’s what I think is important,” said Indians’ coach Jess Shellenberger of her team facing necessary adversity.
“We still found a way to put the ball in the cage. We talked a little bit about drawing Autumn out and getting in behind her but they played us aggressive, so kudos to their game plan. They played us tough.”
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Donegal 5, Lampeter-Strasburg 0
LS _ 0 _ 0 _ — _ 0
DN _ 2 _ 3 _ — _ 5
FIRST HALF
1. DN, Mackenzie Allessie (UA), 0:58
2. DN, Cassy Stauffer (Lily Saunders), 4:32
SECOND HALF
3. DN, Amanda Beck (UA), 0:40
4. DN, Lily Saunders (Amanda Beck), 12:01
5. DN, Amanda Beck (UA), 15:02
CORNERS-SHOTS — L-S 3-0, DON 20-32
SAVES — L-S, Autumn Peters 27. DON, Katie Jean 0.