By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Elizabethtown College scored three quick goals early to edge past the Juniata College field hockey team Wednesday afternoon. Juniata (5-6) fell 4-1 to the Blue Jays who moved to 6-3 on the year with the win. The Eagles earned a season-best three defensive saves in the contest, holding Elizabethtown to just six shots in the second half.
"They brought their A+ game," said head coach Caroline Gillich of the Blue Jays. "Getting 19 shots off and putting 15 of those on goal, that's fairly unheard of. So this was just a phenomenal attack. The first half, at the very beginning of the game, we started out well and it quickly turned the other way."
Elizabethtown scored its first three goals within three minutes of each other just 15 minutes into the game. But the Juniata defense bounced back to stop the momentum. Sophomore Kelsey Leibelsperger (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) did her part by recording a game and career-high two defensive saves. She and the defense, including junior Tori Buser (Allentown, Pa./Wyomissing) and sophomore Melissa Rutherford (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) held the Blue Jays scoreless for over 25 minutes before Elizabethtown scored their final goal in the 53rd minute. Buser earned the only other defensive save. She is ranked 75th nationally in the category and currently leads the Landmark Conference.
"Melissa came in and had a really great game as a mid," added Gillich. "She came in a back as a freshman and we started her as a mid this year and she has been doing a really nice job."
Senior Emma Dahmus (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) and sophomore Sarah Bilheimer (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) led the offense with a team-high four and three shots, respectively. All three of Bilheimer's cracks were on goal.
"Emma and Sarah hustle and work their butts off," said Gillich. "They are the kids where you think there has to be two of them at times because you have no idea how one person can start and be in one place and suddenly be in another place 20 yards away. The amount of work they do is absolutely insane."
Dahmus scored the Eagles lone goal in the 56th minute.
Down 4-0 with less than 15 to play, Juniata continued to press offensively. The Eagles forced three corners in 2:30 minutes. A scrambling play in front of the cage forced a restart that set up the third corner opportunity. Dahmus stopped the pass inserted by Bilheimer, took it into the circle through two defenders, and sent the ball past keeper Marlena Johnson low on the right side to end the shutout. The strike earned Dahmus her sixth goal of the season.
"In the second half, we were able to really penetrate into their defense," said Gillich. "We started beating them and coming up with corner opportunities and were able to score on one of the corner opportunities. It was a nice goal."
Junior Julianne Jones (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) spent the most time in goal, earning three saves and giving up just one goal in over 43 minutes in the cage.
"Julie came in and came up with some nice big saves for us and interceptions on some of their big cross balls," Gillich added.
Johnson earned the win Elizabethtown after spending a full 70 minutes in the cage and tying junior Shelby Miller (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) with a game-high five saves.
Juniata hits the road next to face Alvernia on Saturday, Oct. 5 for a 1 p.m. game.
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