OWINGS MILL, Md. – The field hockey squad battled the No. 1 seed in Stevenson in a scenario they know best and fell 4-1 after a big Mustang first half on the road on Wednesday night.
Inside the Box Score
Madeline Moreno (Mansfield, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) had the team's only goal and had two shots on goal.
Sydney Fleming (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland) assisted on the Blazer goal, her eighth of the season which stands alone as a first-year record for the program.
Grace Guy (Mechanicsville, Md./Chopticon) made five saves on the evening.
How it Happened
Early the playing surface showed to be a challenge for the visitors with the fast speeds changing the way players handle the ball. The adjustment took some time but not before the damage was done.
Stevenson would get a good look and Guy managed to knock down the shot for the save, the ball would roll back to Hibschman and her second shot would skip past for the 1-0.
The Mustangs would cash in again three minutes into the second with an unassisted goal by Cashman, who took a pitching wedge approach and landed it on the green behind the Hood keeper to double the deficit. Another score would take place and now stood with a 3-0 with a lot of game to go.
The Blue & Grey cracked through the midfield and took their first hack at goal but the body of a defender for Stevenson rejected another episode of a surprise goal versus the country's No. 16.
Late in the second, the Blazers would finally get to take advantage of the speedy surface during a corner where a Moreno full throttle strike left flames in the back of the net to score their first playoff goal in conference.
The second half the visitors would find their footing with multidimensional play.
Kate Haufe (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and
Abby Chiavetta (San Jose, Calif./Leland) slowing down the Stevenson attack while
Ava Snelsire (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) and
Bianca Scally (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) getting better touches in the midfield.
Moreno started to pile on the defensive saves as the Blazers molded back into that compact defense that has kept them in many games this season, especially the last meeting against the Mustangs.
More time spent in the attack left more promise for scoring opportunities, unfortunately Hood would not get a shot off in the second half.
After a collision in front of the Blazer goal led to the games sole penalty stroke, the Mustang's Hitchman found bottom left and her second of the night to close the book.
For the Opponent
Hibshman had a pair of goals and four shots on goal.
Jordan Vradenburgh had two saves in goal.
Notes
Hood finishes at 8-11, leaving with their first appearance in the MAC Tournament, the most wins in conference since 2001 and their third straight season with eight or more wins.
Stevenson continues on their domination with an 18-2 record and a date with Messiah k for the MAC Commonwealth championship.
