WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A pair of fourth quarter goals gave the visiting Utica Pioneers a 4-2 win over the Washington & Jefferson College field hockey team Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium.
The loss W&J to 2-2 in Empire 8 play and 2-5 overall. The Pioneers improve to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in E8 play.
W&J never held the lead in the loss Saturday to Utica. The Pioneers built a 2-0 lead after a pair of goals by Alyssa Pisano, who gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with a goal late in the first quarter. Pisano tacked on another when scored unassisted just 58 seconds into the second quarter.
The Presidents would counter attack, answering with consecutive goals of their own just five minutes later. Junior forward
Hailey Wachowiak (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) poked in a shot from close range after an assist from freshman
Lindsey Blount (Lockport, N.Y. / Starpoint).
Less than two minutes later, Wachowiak scored again, evening the match at 2-2. Wachowiak snuck the ball into the back of the cage after a beautiful setup by freshman
Lily Giering (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township, who was credited with an assist on the play. Sophomore forward
Camryn Cresci (Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. DuPont) did a lot of the heavy lifting on the play, as she worked the ball up the near sideline before shoveling the ball up to Giering.
The score remained tied at 2-2 entering halftime. Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, setting the stage for a critical fourth quarter. Pisano gave the Pioneers the lead for good with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. The goal was the third of the day for Pisano.
Alana Fragapane scored with just 37 seconds left to give Utica a late insurance goal. Mackenzie Mix tallied an assist on the Fragapane goal.
W&J was out-shot by a 14-7 margin (7-5 shots on goal). Utica held an 11-7 edge over W&J in penalty corner opportunities.
The Presidents travel to Allegheny College for a non-conference match on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The contest will get underway at the Blue Turf in Meadville at 4 p.m.
