Radford Takes First Match In Home-and-Home Series with 'Cats

Wednesday, October 14

Davidson, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

Davidson College

Radford

Finley Amato

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Radford Takes First Match In Home-and-Home Series with 'Cats

10/14/2009 8:44:06 PM | Field Hockey

By: Mark Brumbaugh

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Two early Radford goals proved to be the difference as the Davidson field hockey team fell to the Highlanders, 3-1 on a cold and rainy Wednesday night at Belk Turf Field. Freshman Finley Amato (Lake Forest, Ill.) scored the 'Cats lone goal, giving her a team-leading four for the season.

Radford (7-7, 3-0 NorPac East) first scored in the 10th minute off a penalty corner. Lynsey Daughtrey started the attempt, passing to Megan Lenhardt. Lenhardt then blasted a shot from the top of the circle for the goal. Exactly five minutes later, Madonna Wadolowski found Kay Tufts right in front of the net. Tufts poked a shot past senior goalkeeper Christa Goeke (Princeton, N.J.) to give Radford a 2-0 lead.

Amato brought the 'Cats (4-10, 0-3 NorPac East) within one in the fifth minute of the second half. The play started on a penalty corner as freshman Annie Evans (Lake Forest, Ill.) passed the ball to the top of the circle to sophomore Gray Robinson (Louisville, Ky.) Robinson moved the ball to junior Clare Perry (Winston-Salem, N.C.) who moved in on goal on the left post side. Goalkeeper Jennifer Wisniewski came out to challenge the shot, so Amato moved in behind Wisniewski right next to the right post. With the shooting lanes blocked, Perry passed to Amato who placed it in the open net.

Davidson was unable to sustain the momentum though as Radford converted another penalty corner from Daughtry. Lara Cariker found a shooting lane and beat Goeke with a hard shot near the top of the circle to give Radford a 3-1 lead.

Radford kept the pressure on Davidson's defense, outshooting the 'Cats 23-12 and holding a 14-6 advantage in penalty corners. Goeke made a season-high 12 saves, Wisniewski made six. Sophomore Hannah Lawrence (Shaker Heights, Ohio) tallied a defensive save late in the second half.

The match was the first in a home-and-home series between the two schools. Davidson will travel to Radford for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday.