HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata field hockey team held on to win 5-4 against DeSales, Saturday afternoon at Knox Stadium.
Two and a half minutes into the game, Catherine Lanigan (Parsippany, N.J. / Parsippany HS) found Olivia Marker (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon Area H.S.) to open the scoring.
Lanigan to Marker for the first goal of the game. #wingsup #JCFH pic.twitter.com/Wf67RX0r1W
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 21, 2019
Marker struck again two minutes later off a pass from Madison Miller (York, Pa. / West York) to double the Eagle lead.
Lanigan to Marker for the first goal of the game. #wingsup #JCFH pic.twitter.com/Wf67RX0r1W
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 21, 2019
Sarah Alexander (Mifflinburg, Pa. / Mifflinburg) found Marker in front of the goal and she tapped it home to complete her first-quarter hat trick as the Eagles led 3-0 after the first.
S. Alexander gets it to Marker as she completes the first quarter hat trick #wingsup #JCFH #hattrick #goalgoalgoal pic.twitter.com/Zj8ZgfBz9M
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 21, 2019
The Bulldogs scored the lone goal of the second period as they slowly started to find their way in the game. Juniata led 3-1 at halftime.
Midway through the third period, the Bulldogs struck again to get within one. Juniata quickly responded however as 26 seconds into the fourth, Grace Alexander (Mifflinburg, Pa. / Mifflinburg) found Miranda Madara (Bernville, Pa. / Hamburg Area HS) all alone by the back post to put the Eagles back up two.
G. Alexander to Madara to get the Eagle lead back to two #wingsup #JCFH pic.twitter.com/rN9UYNgySc
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 21, 2019
Less than a minute later, Madara fed G. Alexander for a goal to make it 5-2 with 13 minutes to go in the game.
Madara returns the favor as she finds G. Alexander to put the Eagles up three #wingsup #JCFH pic.twitter.com/J0cyxrF7lN
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 21, 2019
The Bulldogs scored with eight minutes left as they started to put pressure on Juniata. With 50 seconds to go, they were given a penalty stroke and converted as they pulled within one. But JC held on to grab the 5-4 victory in a wild contest.
Nicole Piccioni (Richfield, Pa. / Midd-West) had five saves in the contest for JC while Brittney McMullen (Shade Gap, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) made one.
DeSales held 14-12 advantage in shots and a 7-3 edge in penalty corners.
The Eagles will open conference play next Saturday at home on homecoming against Moravian at 4:30.