FREDERICK, Md. – Behind a dominating performance, the Albright field hockey team locked up a berth in the MAC Commonwealth tournament with a 5-1 win over Hood on the road in MAC Commonwealth play on Saturday night.
With the win, the Lions improve to 8-6 on the season with a 4-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. Meanwhile, the Blazers drop to 2-14 on the season with a 0-6 record in conference play. This marks the second time in three seasons that the Lions have qualified for the MAC Commonwealth tournament after never making it prior to 2015.
Albright came out flying to start the game with eight shots in the first 12 minutes of the game. The Lions hard work finally paid off in the 21
st minute when sophomore
Kaley Donmoyer scored her third goal in four games to give Albright a 1-0 lead. After continued pressure, the Lions extended the lead in the 28
th minute when senior
Tracy Snyder scored her sixth goal of the season off a penalty corner pass from classmate
Kasey Neiderer. Albright then put the finishing touches on a dominant half with a goal in the 34
th minute from sophomore
Marley Berger. The Lions finished with a 20-0 shot advantage in the first half.
The Lions continued to pepper the Blazer net with multiple chances as the second half began. Junior
Annette Helmandollar would extend the Albright lead to 4-0 in the 52
nd minute right after a penalty corner opportunity. After the Blazers broke the shutout with a goal in the 60
th minute, freshman
Jennifer Crumling tallied the first goal of her collegiate career in the 66
th minute to bring the score to 5-1. The Lions held an 11-2 shot advantage in the second half.
For the game, Albright outshot the Blazers 31-2 and scored a season-high five goals. The Lions also held a 16-0 advantage in penalty corners as well.
Junior goalkeeper
Aileen Taylor earned the win after shutting out the Blazers in the first half for 35 minutes without facing a shot. Freshman
Brynne Schoppe entered the game to start the second half and played just over 20 minutes without facing a shot. Classmate
Brooke Tucker made her collegiate debut and tallied one save, while allowing a goal in just under 15 minutes of play. Blazer goalkeeper Hailey Poisal suffered the loss after making 12 saves in the full 70 minutes.
Albright will return to action on Tuesday, October 23
rd when they will host nationally-ranked TCNJ in non-conference action at 4:30 p.m.
