Rutgers earns road win at William and Mary
Sep 12 | Field Hockey
WILLIAMSBURG, VA. (September 12, 2014) – In its first road game of the 2014 season, Rutgers earned the victory, downing William and Mary 3-2.
"It was a hard-fought game and a great win for our team," head coach Meredith Long said. "I am pleased with our growth each time we step on the field to compete. We are going to celebrate this win and get to work tomorrow preparing for UVA."
The Scarlet Knights got on the board early, tallying a goal on the game’s first shot just 2:39 in. Nicole Imbriaco (Clark, N.J.) added to her team-leading goal total with her fourth of the year to put RU ahead.
Seven minutes later, Rutgers took advantage of a corner to score a second goal. Defender Sofia Walia (Surrey, British Columbia) put the ball in to make the score 2-0. Katie Champion (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) recorded her second assist of the game with the primary helper, while senior captain Jenn Staab (Marmora, N.J.) also notched an assist for her first points on the season.
The Tribe clawed back into the game with two goals to tie the score. Pippin Saunders and Maria Pastor scored to tie the game at 2-2.
The Scarlet Knights had an answer, with Walia scoring again to push RU back in front. The sophomore earned a penalty stroke just before the end of the first half and finished it for a crucial goal that gave Rutgers a 3-2 advantage into halftime, which they would not relinquish.
In the second half, both defenses would tighten. The halftime score held true, with Rutgers persevering 3-2.
Rutgers was outshot in the game 12-9, with RU putting seven of those shots on goal. Goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes (Melbourne, Australia) made eight saves in the victory, improving to 4-1 on the season. William and Mary held a 6-4 edge in penalty corners.
With the victory, Rutgers improved to 4-1, while dropping William and Mary to 1-4 on the year. The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Sunday at No. 9 Virginia at noon.
GAME NOTES:
- Imbriaco scored for the third consecutive game. She leads the team with four goals and is second with eight points.
- Walia had the first two-goal game of her career. Her three goals on the season tie her career-high for goals (set last year) and her 11 points on the year is a new career high.
- Champion had the first multi-assist game of her career. She has three assists on the year, one shy of tying her career-high.
- With four victories on the year, Hayes tied her career-high for single season victories.
