ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior Danielle Grill (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) scored two goals, including the game-winner, and the 12th-ranked Lebanon Valley College field hockey team knocked off 16th-ranked Elizabethtown College 5-1 in a big Commonwealth Conference match Saturday afternoon at a packed LVC Field Hockey Stadium.

Lebanon Valley (11-6) broke a three-match losing streak and avenged last season’s loss to Etown in the Commonwealth semifinals. The Flying Dutchmen also improved to 4-2 in the Commonwealth.

Etown lost its second game in a row and fell to 9-4 and 4-2 in conference play.

LVC dominated the game right from the start and out-shot the Blue Jays 19-0 in the first half. Grill put the Valley on the scoreboard midway through the opening stanza when she collected a pass from senior Melissa Youse (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) and rifled home her eighth goal of the season.

Elizabethtown tied things up just 50 seconds into the second half, when Brandy Espenshade batted in Jama Weigher’s pass out of midair for her 11th goal of the year. But LVC was quick to strike back, as Grill punched in a shot on a scramble just 3:39 later as the Valley took the lead for good.

Sophomore Erin Behney (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) extended LVC’s lead to 3-1 with 19:15 left in the game. Behney stripped the ball from an Etown player and raced to the right wing, drawing keeper Lisa Marquette to her left. Behney then rolled a shot across Marquette and into the left side of the cage for her team-leading 10th goal of the season.

After Behney’s goal, first-year student Crystal Davis (Christiana, Pa./Octorara) was summoned off the bench and promptly scored her fourth goal of the year. Junior Jen Selin (Pickerington, Ohio/Fallston) set up Davis with a beautiful cross after racing down the right side of the field on a breakaway. With 37 seconds left, senior Holly Zimmerman (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) put the icing on the cake with her first collegiate goal.

First-year student Carla Reavis (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) recorded two saves in goal and upped her record to 11-6. Marquette saved 15 shots for Etown.

LVC can clinch a Commonwealth playoff berth on Wednesday, when the team travels to Juniata College in the Valley’s final conference game of the season. Game-time is set for 3:30 p.m.

Elizabethtown           0        1     -      1
Lebanon Valley       1         4     -      5 
 
LV – Danielle Grill (Melissa Youse), 19:25
E – Brandy Espenshade (Jama Weigher), 35:50
LV – Danille Grill (unassisted), 39:29
LV – Erin Behney (unassisted), 50:45
LV – Crystal Davis (Jen Selin), 51:07
LV – Holly Zimmerman (unassisted), 69:23

Shots: Elizabethtown 5. Lebanon Valley 34.
Saves: Elizabethtown (Lisa Marquette) 15. Lebanon Valley (Carla Reavis) 2.
Penalty Corners: Elizabethtown 4. Lebanon Valley 11.
Team Records: Elizabethtown 9-4, 4-2 Commonwealth. Lebanon Valley 11-6, 4-2 Commonwealth.

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