By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – A late goal by Juniata College field hockey was not enough to rally against No. 12 The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Saturday afternoon. The Eagles fell 4-1 in Knox Stadium, dropping to 3-3 on the year. TCNJ improved to 3-1.
"It was a great gut check to play two top 15 teams in a week," said head coach Caroline Gillich. "To play at this level and be pushed and truly be able to push back. It was very back and forth."
Sophomore Steph Pagliaro (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) scored the Eagles lone goal. She reached around the goalie after a pass in from senior Emma Dahmus (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) and punched it through. The goal was her first of the year and Dahmus' first assist.
TCNJ controlled the ball for the first eight minutes of the contest, earning four corners and getting off four shots. The Eagles finally turned the tables and went on the offensive in the 10th minute.
Juniata pushed into the circle and forced its first corner. Sophomore Sarah Bilheimer (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) took a shot from the left side that was saved by Lion goalkeeper Amanda Krause. Bilheimer received the rebound and took another swing, but Krause was there again for the stop.
The Eagles earned another penalty corner after the save and this time Dahmus took her chance. She powered a shot from inside the top of the circle that rebounded back to her. Dahmus took another cut and Krause kicked it to the side, but into the waiting stick of sophomore Cassie Clarence (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) who took her swing on the ball.
Krause picked up her fourth save of the series and sent the ball back out Dahmus' way. The midfielder swung aggressively and sent the ball flying towards the cage. It bounced hard off the cross bar to end the Eagles push.
The Lions jumped onto the board in the 15th minute off a corner. They would score two more before the end of the half.
"The first half was fairly even except in corners," said Gillich. "They definitely were able to draw more corners and that hurt us because they put in a couple goals off of corners and gained a stroke as well."
Both teams goalkeepers recorded eight saves in the first half despite TCNJ outshooting the Eagles 13-9 after earning 12 corners to the Eagles five.
"I felt like this was one of our best games against TCNJ, even though the score does not reflect that," added Gillich. "In the second half, we were finally able to out-corner them and outshoot them. We just didn't outscore them."
Juniata did successfully slow the Lions down after the break. The Eagles outshot TCNJ 9-4 and earned five corners to their four.
Pagliaro's goal was the last of the contest and was a product of resilience deep in the circle after a corner.
"She is a great, great finisher," said Gillich of the forward. "She did exactly what I've been telling her this week that she can do, which is finish inside against the goalkeeper. And she did that fabulously well. We are certainly going to look for more of that from her heading into next week."
Juniata hits the road for its next two contests. They face Wilkes College on Tuesday, Sept. 17 before traveling to Delaware Valley College on Saturday, Sept. 21. Juniata is 6-9-2 all-time against Wilkes. Before last season, it had been over 20 years since the programs met. But the Eagles dominated Wilkes last year, outshooting them 30-3 en route to a 5-1 win at home.
"We played them last year and that was a great breakout game for us," said Gillich. "Wilkes can become very dangerous with big hits and tips and are a very aggressive team in the circle, but I feel confident that our defense stepping up, will be able to eliminate opportunities for their team to touch the ball inside the circle.
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