MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin field hockey team battled a talented Denison squad on Sunday morning at Tomasini Stadium. The Falcons kept the Big Red within striking distance for much of the afternoon before Denison pulled away late for a 4-0 victory.
Senior goalkeeper Parks Cawthray (Oakville, Ontario) stood tall in the cage for the Falcons, turning away 13 shots on the afternoon. Cawthray recorded three saves in the opening quarter, four in the second and five more in the third to help keep CUW in the contest.
Denison struck first at the 7:54 mark when Reilly Desmond found the back of the cage. The Falcons' defense responded to the early goal and held the Big Red off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half.
Concordia Wisconsin began to generate more pressure late in the second quarter. Senior Leah Mouganis (Pittsburg, Pa.) earned the Falcons' first penalty corner with 23 seconds remaining in the half, and freshman Maddie Rock (Rockford, Mich.) followed with a shot just wide of the cage. The Falcons entered halftime trailing by just one goal despite facing 12 Denison shots.
The Falcons continued to push forward after halftime. Mouganis generated back-to-back penalty corners early in the third quarter, with freshman Emilia Rojas (Santiago, Chile) firing a shot wide following the second opportunity.
Cawthray continued to keep the Falcons in the fight with four saves over a span of just over three minutes midway through the third quarter. Denison eventually broke through again when Lulu Keil scored off an Abigail Hyatt assist at the 43:03 mark to make it 2-0.
The Big Red added a third goal from Emma Gebhart at the 50:16 mark, but the Falcons continued to attack. CUW produced some of its best offensive pressure of the afternoon in the closing minutes, earning consecutive penalty corners.
Senior Emily Robertson (Canton, Mich.) had a shot blocked following the first corner, and Mouganis followed seconds later with another attempt that was also turned away. Concordia Wisconsin finished with two shots and two penalty corners in the fourth quarter, its highest total in either category in a single period Sunday.
Keil closed the scoring with 24 seconds remaining to give Denison the 4-0 victory.
Cawthray's 13 saves highlighted the afternoon for the Falcons, while Robertson, Rock, Rojas and Mouganis each recorded a shot. Concordia also generated five penalty corners, including four in the second half.
The Falcons move to 2-4 on the season and will return to action Tuesday night when they travel to Marian. The opening whistle is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
