MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - When Millersville head coach
Shelly Behrens built the team's schedule, she knew the first two games would be a test, and she also knew she'd learn a lot about her team from those two games. Now two games into the 2022 season, her Marauders are 2-0 with two wins over top-10 teams. On a scorching Sunday afternoon at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, the Marauders scored twice in the third quarter to defeat No. 6 Saint Anselm, 2-1.
An oppressive heat pushed the scheduled noon start back to 4:30 p.m., and even then, the wet bulb globe temperature reading wasn't far beneath the NCAA-set heat index for safe play. The Marauders battled through a slow start and made some difference-making adjustments at the half. After Saint Anselm held an 8-4 edge in penalty corners and 6-5 edge in shots in the first half, Millersville out-shot the Hawks 10-2 over the final 30 minutes.
Two of those Millersville shots found the back of the cage.
Kate Strickland broke the scoreless tie by converting a penalty stroke early in the third, and
Ashlynn Lennon tallied the game-winner with 3:30 remaining in the quarter.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Marauders opened the third quarter with a barrage of shots, peppering St. A keeper Mackenzie McConnell with four in fewer than two minutes. On the Marauders' third penalty corner of the quarter,
Codi Bollinger powered a shot past McConnell that struck a defender in the foot just in front of the goal line, giving Millersville a penalty stroke. Behrens called on Strickland, and the senior converted, firing into the upper left-hand corner.
• Saint Anselm's Amanda Lewandowski redirected a sharp shot from Avery Tucker for the equalizer fewer than four minutes later, but Millersville continued to attack. In the game's 42nd minute, Lennon received a penalty corner insert from freshman
Emily Buss and smacked a rocket of a shot from the top of the circle into the back of the cage.
• Millersville controlled possession in the fourth quarter as well, allowing Saint Anselm to produce one shot on two penalty corners.
POSTGAME REACTION FROM SHELLY BEHRENS
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On handling the delay and the heat: "We call that the noise, and there's always going to be noise. I said to them, 'none of it is in your control, the only thing that matters is your reaction.' They had to dig deep to re-prepare. They handled it well. It was tough for both teams. It showed me a lot about the team. I told them they were ready, and they were."
•
On balance with the attack: "Managing expectations--what we wanted the corner to look like and what it was. Let's get some results from getting the ball on the net. Their goalie is very a very good keeper, and we wanted to make her play some balls. We were a little passive with our shooting, and I'd like to pick that up. Shout out also to our penalty corner defense, which was great today.
Georgia Werkiser did a great job and
Ashlynn Lennon did a great job."
NOTES
Sunday's game was only the second meeting between the programs and the first in the regular season. The team's last played in the 2017 NCAA Quarterfinals, a game Millersville won in a shootout in freezing temperatures.
UP NEXT
• Millersville continues its early season home stand Thursday, Sept. 8 against Adelphi.
