SCRANTON, Pa.- Katie Alexander (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) scored in the 83rd minute as the field hockey team knocked off previously undefeated Scranton 2-1 on Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Field. The win gives the Eagles their fourth victory and raises their overall record to 5-4 and 2-0 in the Landmark. The Royals are now 9-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
The first half belonged to the home team as Scranton led in shots 4-2. The Royals struck at 27:04 when Ryan Jones passed to Jessica Pankey from the corner to give Scranton a 1-0 lead.
The second frame was an entirely different story and the Eagles dominated 7-1 in shots. JC was able to get three shots and three penalty corners off within the first five minutes of play. The fourth time was the charm as Brittany Meier (Pennslyvania Furnace, Pa./State College) passed to Sarah Bilheimer (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) from the top of the box and Bilheimer laid it in for her team-leading eighth goal of the season and the score was knotted at 1-1.
The Eagles outshot the Royals 3-1 for the rest of the second half but could not get the goal they needed to take the lead. For the fourth year in a row, the two teams went into an extra period.
Much like the second half, the overtime session belonged to Juniata. JC had a 3-0 advantage in shots with the final one coming on Alexander's winning goal on an assist from Bilhiemer. It the third straight year that the Eagles have defeated the Royals by a 2-1 score in overtime.
Kylie Edwards (Danville, Pa./Danville) played the entire 82:59 in the cage. She had three saves including a diving stop in the second half that helped to preserve the tie and send the game to overtime.
"This was a great conference battle once again," said head coach Caroline Gillich. "Players stepped up where we needed them to, which was great. It was not a perfect game, but we worked through things together and made the most of our opportunities. We are excited to have a strong start in the conference. We play a tough schedule at the beginning of the year to make sure our team is battle tested and I think that showed tonight."
The Eagles had a 12-5 advantage in total shots. They also had an 11-9 edge in penalty corners.
Juniata returns to Knox Stadium tomorrow night when it hosts Washington and Jefferson. Game time will be at 7 p.m.
