Field Hockey Recap (Week 4) - Around the SCAC

SUWANEE, Ga. - Field Hockey returned to conference play over the weekend after taking a week off. Rhodes defeated Centre in a battle of unbeaten conference records. Conference play continues this weekend and with just over a month to go till the SCAC Championships every moment counts.

- AROUND THE SCAC -

Centre split a pair of road matches on a tough road trip to Rhodes College and Hendrix College. The Colonels lost 1-0 to Rhodes on a hectic day that required a change of venue to Hendrix College due to inclement field conditions in Memphis. The Colonels played a spirited match but gave up a late penalty corner goal in their first loss of the season. Centre bounced back against Hendrix College as freshman Jessica McLean (St. Louis, MO) tallied her second goal of the season late in the first half and added two more early in the second half for the 3-1 win. Second half goals were scored by freshman midfielder Anna Fuller (Cincinnati, OH) assisted by senior midfielder Rachel Watkins (Chicago, IL) and senior forward Mary Kate Clodius (St. Louis, MO) assisted by freshman midfielder Barbara Parks (Chapel Hill, NC). The Colonels travel to Transylvania University on Saturday, Oct. 3 for their next match.

DePauw was a perfect 2-0 on the week led by four goals from Sarah Riffle. The Tigers defeated Bellarmine 2-0 before traveling to Sewanee for a weekend SCAC match-up. Down by a goal in the 29th minute the game was called due to weather. The game restarted with 41 minutes to play Sunday morning and the DU Tigers responded behind three goals from Sarah Riffle to win 3-2. DePauw returns to action this weekend hosting Hendrix and Rhodes in Greencastle.

Hendrix picked up a 5-0 route of Transylvania University on Saturday afternoon, before dropping a 1-3 contest against SCAC foe Centre College on Sunday afternoon at Warrior Field. The Warriors now stand at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in SCAC play. Hendrix first year forward Kelly Rappe set a new program record by scoring three goals in a game to help lift the Warriors past Transylvania. Rappe jumped to the top of the Warriors’ scoring list by putting the ball past the keeper in the first, 28th and 59th minutes. Her first and third goals came on penalty corners, while her second came off an assist from first year forward Stephanie Verweij. Junior forward Abby Coleman assisted Rappe’s final goal. The Warriors outshot the Pioneers, 22-8, while Transy had more chances on penalty corners, 11-10. Centre used one goal in the first half and opened the second with back-to-back scores, before Coleman scored the Warriors’ lone goal of the game. The Colonels remain undefeated against the Warriors after five meetings over the past three seasons. Centre first year forward Jessica McLean lit up the scoreboard on an unassisted goal off a rebound from four yards out in the 22nd minute. The score would remain at 1-0 until first year midfielder Anna Fuller took a pass from senior forward Rachel Watkins and knocked it past the keeper just two minutes after the halftime break. The Colonels sealed the deal three minutes later when senior forward Mary Kate Clodius scored on a break away assist from first year forward Barbara Parks. Coleman scored her second goal of the year on a penalty corner from the top of the arch with 11:04 remaining in regulation. Hendrix outshot its opponent, 16-14. Each team had nine chances on penalty corners and each team’s goalkeepers denied eight shots on the day.

Rhodes went 2-0 on the weekend with a conference shutout over rival Centre 1-0 and a 4-1 win over Transylvania. Libby Feaster scored the game winner in the Centre match on a penalty corner shot with just 12 minutes to play in regulation. Lindsey Gurkovich, Hillary Relyea, Charlie Wagner, and Sarah Kennedy scored in the Lynx win over the Pioneers on Sunday. Goalkeepers Meghan Cullen, Valerie Clarke, and Jordan Robinson held opponents to 1 goal in the two wins, totaling 14 saves. Charlie Wagner, Sara Sanders, and Rachel Webb controlled play in the middle of the field and all had spectacular defensive efforts in Friday’s match. Freshmen Marie Mason and Sarah Ferguson both played big roles in the wins this weekend as did right side players Lucy Bell and Sarah Kennedy. Rhodes heads to Sewanee and DePauw this coming weekend.

Sewanee was scheduled to host DePauw in SCAC field hockey play Saturday and was leading after a Molly Kennedy (Timonium, Md., Bryn Mawr) goal from an Anne Booke (Charlotte, N.C., Charlotte Latin) assist when the game was called for weather in the 29th minute. The remaining 41 minutes was played Sunday morning and Sarah Riffle scored a hat trick for DePauw to secure the 3-2 win. Sewanee's second goal by Caroline Carlin (Gladwyne, Penn., Country Day) tied the contest at two, but Riffle's goal in the 65th minute sealed the win for DePauw. Carlin also recorded a defensive save for Sewanee. Emily Detmer (Denver, Colo., Pomfret) and Anna Morrow (Annapolis, Md., St. James) split time in goal for Sewanee and Detmer had two saves and Morrow had three. Liz Atwell logged seven saves in goal for DePauw. Sewanee outshot DePauw 15-9 and also took 15 penalty corners compared to nine for DePauw. Sewanee is 3-3 and will host Centre and Rhodes next weekend.

To view the entire SCAC Sticks Weekly from week four, click here.