FREDERICK, Md. – After securing a three-goal lead just after half, the Blazers held on tightly in a thriller to win 4-3 to defeat the Pride of Widener for the first time in program history at Thomas Athletic Field on Saturday night. Hood's three wins to start to conference play is a program best.
 
Inside the Box Score
 
Four Blazers net goals in the match, Morgan Hackett (Hampstead, Md./Hereford), Kylie Roessler (Tewksbury, N.J./Vorhees), Bianca Scally (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) and Ellie Dainton (Mays Landing, NJ./Saint Joseph Academy).

Roessler and Hackett both marked assists, Sydney Fleming (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland) added one as well.

Grace Guy (Mechanicsville, Md./Chopticon) made seven saves on the evening, earning her sixth win of the season.
 
How it Happened
 
The Blazers wasted no time asserting control, striking twice in the first quarter. The senior Hackett opened the scoring just 2:31 into the game off a touch from Roessler in close quarters in front of goal. Roessler returned the favor 11 minutes later, netting her own goal with Hackett assisting, giving Hood a 2-0 lead.
 
Scally added a third goal in the second quarter taking it herself with shifty stickwork that she displayed in her first year and now padding on to her sophomore resume. Widener responded late in the half, pickpocketing a Blazer defender and with numbers outmatched the back line.
 
Early in the third quarter, Dainton extended Hood's lead to 4-1, converting a penalty corner with help from Fleming as she stepped to the right and shot a cross just inside the left post. That goal proved be to a crucial as Widener mounted a late comeback.
 
Things got spooky as the Blue & Grey started to face an uptick in corners with contact infractions deep in their defensive zone. These infractions would soon spoil from penalty corners to cards, five in the final two quarters.
 
Even though the match started fast, it would come to a screeching halt with four penalty corners for the Pride in twenty seconds. This would eventually lead to officials calling for a penalty stroke.

Kayleigh Armstrong of Widener would get the opportunity to face Guy on the penalty with what felt like an eternity from the foul call whistle to the whistle signaling Armstrong to shoot. Armstrong found payday and put fuel on the flame that Widener created with its defense in the second half.
 
All the chips were in with five minutes left in the match, Widener had pulled their goalie to create a two-man over the Blazers that were suffering from a fellow teammate held out via yellow card.
 
With another penalty stroke for the visitors, Armstrong netted her second penalty stroke of the evening and now trailed by one with just above two minutes to go.
 
Widener threw their best punches and even had a late shot go wide, but the Blazers cut the tension and met their goalkeeper as time expired to celebrate the monumental win. 
 
For the Opponent

Kayleigh Armstrong put two goals on six shots.

Goalkeepers Arewen Fithian and Lilly Rejrat combined seven saves in the effort.
 
Notes

Hood improves to 8-6, 3-0 in conference play. The Blazers sit in second place in the division between York at the top and Messiah in third. Three conference wins mark the most for the program since the 2001 season.

Widener falls to 7-6, 0-3 in conference play.
 
Up Next
 
The squad will face the gauntlet of the conference starting with Messiah at home on Wednesday, October 22 with a 4 p.m. start.