MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Trailing 1-0 in the fourth quarter, Millersville's
Madison Shea scored an extra-effort goal, and
Erin Esterhuizen buried a penalty stroke to cap a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Mansfield Saturday afternoon at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
Millersville's (7-5, 3-1 PSAC) relentlessness made the difference. Disjointed and unable to muster much offense for the first three quarters, the Marauders recorded four shots and drew two penalty strokes in the final 15 minutes. Shea's third goal of the season typified that effort. In the 49th minute, she dribbled through traffic along the end line, placed the ball into a mess of Mansfield sticks in front of the cage, and won the ball back, freeing it from the Mountaineers and into the back of the cage.
"To get two goals in the fourth quarter, this is a PSAC clash," said Millersville head coach
Shelly Behrens. "We are fighting for things here. I'm really proud of our energy, because we escalated it and kept it higher. That was a positive. The kids believe in themselves and believe in each other."
Four minutes later,
Alexis Kern carried the ball up the right side of the field and into the circle on a breakaway when a Mansfield defender tried to make a play from behind Kerns. Behrens called on Esterhuizen to take her first stroke of the season, and she fired it low and to the right past Mansfield keeper Lydia Miller for the game winner. The Marauders kept Mansfield without a shot the rest of the way.
"It was about attacking hard," said Behrens. "Go in looking to get a corner and get a stroke, even better. Then, It felt like Erin (was the right choice). I will tell you, she hasn't made them in practice, so it was a gutsy call to go with her. But I believe in Erin every day of the week."
For much of the game it seemed as if Millersville's breakthrough goal would never come. The Marauders came up empty on their first eight corners. Thirty seconds before Shea's game-tying goal, the Marauders were awarded a penalty stroke after
Paige Webster was knocked to the turf trying to play a ball in front of the keeper. But even that stroke was turned away by Miller. To stay in the game, the Marauders weathered the storm. Millersville turned away 12 Mansfield penalty corners, including seven in the first half. Millersville keeper
Sarah Crysler made three saves in the second quarter.
"I challenge our defense and Sarah today," said Behrens. "Sarah does a great job. I can put any of the goalies in and that's a positive. But we did the simple things on defense."
Millersville has now won three of the last four and four of the last six. Millersville has also not allowed more than two goals in a game since the 5-4 loss at West Chester on Oct. 1. Crysler improved to 6-2 as Millersville's starter.
"Definitely still growing, but we are getting better every day we are together. That was a good conference win and a good home win."
The Marauders travel to No. 1 Shippensburg on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. PSAC match-up.
