LORETTO, Pa. – The Concordia Wisconsin field hockey team held the lead heading into the fourth quarter on Monday morning, but a pair of late goals lifted Saint Francis past the Falcons, 2-1. The loss moved CUW to 1-2 on the season.
The Falcons came out firing, recording the only two shots of the opening quarter. Sophomore Kaitlin Baylen (Antioch, Ill.) put the first attempt wide before junior Naomi Little (Hartland, Wis.) tested the Saint Francis goalkeeper with a shot on goal in the closing minutes of the period.
Senior goalkeeper Parks Cawthray (Oakville, Ontario) helped keep the contest scoreless in the second quarter. Saint Francis generated three shots on goal, but Cawthray turned away all three, including back-to-back saves in the final two minutes of the half.
The Falcons broke through late in the third quarter. Kaitlin Baylen sent a ball into the circle that stopped by the Saint Francis goalkeeper, but freshman Aly Schuster (Colgate, Wis.) was there to capitalize on the opportunity and buried the rebound for her first collegiate goal, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage.
CUW nearly added another goal less than a minute later when junior Hannah Lawson (St. Louis, Mo.) put a shot on cage, but Saint Francis came up with the save to keep the Falcons' advantage at one.
The Red Flash found the equalizer in the fourth quarter. Following a penalty corner, Avery Bradburn scored at the 51:15 mark to even the contest at 1-1.
Concordia Wisconsin continued to apply pressure following the tying goal. Senior Leah Mouganis (Pittsburg, Pa.) generated consecutive penalty corners at 55:12 and 55:41 as the Falcons searched for the go-ahead goal.
Saint Francis, however, struck with 1:58 remaining in regulation when Emilie Gamache found the back of the cage to give the Red Flash their first lead of the morning at 2-1.
Cawthray made one final save in the closing minute to keep the Falcons within striking distance, but CUW was unable to find the equalizer before the final horn.
The two teams were nearly even across the stat sheet, with Saint Francis holding an 8-7 advantage in shots. The Falcons put four shots on goal and earned four penalty corners. Cawthray finished the morning with six saves, including three in the second quarter and two in the fourth.
Schuster scored on her lone shot of the contest, while Rider finished with two shots. Baylen added two attempts, and Little and Lawson each placed their lone shot on goal.
The Falcons return to action looking to bounce on Saturday when they host Wittenberg.
