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Millersville

Strijdom
0
Molloy MOLLOY (0-3, 0-1)
5
Winner Millersville MILLERSV (2-1, 0-0)
Molloy MOLLOY
(0-3, 0-1)
0
Final
5
Millersville MILLERSV
(2-1, 0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Molloy MOLLOY 0 0 0 0 0
Millersville MILLERSV 0 4 0 1 5

Game Recap: Field Hockey | | Connor Glunt, Athletic Communication Graduate Assistant

Marauders defend home turf with 5–0 win

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. ­– In their 2023 home opener, the Millersville field hockey team emphatically defended Biemesderfer Stadium, improving to 2–1 after defeating Molloy College 5–0.
 
The Marauders offense came alive in the second quarter, led by Qhayiya Nogoduka, who added two goals to her team-leading total of five through three games. Gianna Cugino and Emma Ruley also added each of their first goals of the season in the second, giving the Marauders a four-goal quarter. Alaina Culbert scored the last goal in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the first of her collegiate career. Kerstin Koons started the game in net for the Marauders, and Sarah Crysler took over in the second half and made two saves in her first appearance of the season.
 
After a first quarter that had multiple chances for the Marauders to blow it wide open early, the score stayed scoreless 0–0 tie. The Marauders had four corners, six shots, and three shots on goal. The chances were there, and it was only a matter of time until they went in. Head coach Shelly Behrens said that there was a key difference in the way the team played in the second quarter from the first quarter.
 
"I think we were just a little more motivated," Behrens said. "Sometimes motivation comes from different places, and I think they were at the place they needed to be, that we needed to start at. We'll get there."
 
The offensive onslaught started immediately after the quarter began, with Nogoduka wasting no time, scoring the first goal 20 seconds into the frame. Cugino immediately followed her up, scoring just moments later. Just 1:32 into the second quarter, Millersville held a 3–0 lead over the Lions after Nogoduka scored her second of the game off an assist from Bri Harsh. Play settled down a little bit following the third goal, but the Marauders kept their foot on the gas pedal. Ruley received a 30-yard stretch pass from Emily Buss, got the angle on her defender to head towards the net, and snuck a shot through the goalkeepers legs to cap off the transition goal. 
 
With a four-goal lead, the Marauders remained competitive and not content with just four goals, dominating possession and chances in the second half. Millersville had two prime opportunities to extend their lead in the third quarter, but the Lions' Lizzy Hedgecock made two defensive saves, one on Harsh and a later one on Caroline Griffin who weaved her way through the defense and created her own opportunity. Molloy's best chance at getting on the scoreboard came later in the third, as Madi Stuckart took the corner for the Lions, and Alyssa Benvengo had a deflection pop up in the air that Crysler punched out to the left of the net. Benvengo recovered the ball, threw it in front, and Crysler shutdown Lauren Brodowsky for the follow-up attempt before Millersville gained possession. 
 
In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Millersville had possession at the top of the arc, as Daina Thomson sent a ball in that bounced around off a couple of bodies, and Culbert was in the right spot to be the first to collect it, deke around the goalkeeper, and put it past Hedgecock who was on the goal line looking for a third defensive save. 
 
Millersville returns to action at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Biemesderfer Stadium where they'll host the 0–3 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Marauders outshot the Lions 24–3, putting 14 shots on goal compared to the 2 the Lions had on target.
  • Millersville had 14 corner opportunities, four in each of the first two quarters, and three in each of the last two. Molloy had just two corners, both coming in the third quarter.
  • Crysler made her first appearance of the season in the second half, stopping both shots on goal that she faced. 
  • Nogoduka led Millersville in shots with four. The other Marauders to have multi-shot games were Kristin Strijdom, Harsh, Codi Bollinger, Ruley, and Lotje Schulpen.
  • Strijdom and Harsh each recorded an assist, Strijdom assisting on the first of Nogoduka's two goals, and Harsh assisting on Nogoduka's second goal.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Millersville is now 2–0 against Molloy, outscoring the Lions 12–0.
  • The Marauders have won 12 straight games at Biemesderfer Stadium dating back to the end of the 2021 season.
  • Every active player on the Marauders roster got playing time.
 
POSTGAME REACTION FROM SHELLY BEHRENS
  • Thoughts on the win: "It was a nice team win. It was really nice to see some different people put the ball in the net. I thought our structure was better in this game than it was [against Bentley]. So, I like that we got better there."
  • Takeaways from underclassmen performance: "Coach Kaeleigh Lord acknowledged just lifting up some of those girls who got in. It was nice to see some younger kids get some productive minutes and goals. Lots of positives. We played everybody but our athletic trainer. I don't say that to sound sarcastic, but we played everybody with a purpose, and that was really important for us."
  • On the team's confidence after scoring five goals: "We look at [the result] with a grain of salt. It's nice to score goals. I think what I liked about our goal scoring today was how we did it, and I think there was some balance in that. I liked our corner execution, I thought there were some positives there. I think that just sets us up for the next game. We just want to keep [taking it] game by game."
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