ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley field hockey team won their third straight game with a huge 3-1 victory over Arcadia University on Wednesday evening at Arnold Field in Annville. The win enabled the Dutchmen to secure the third seed in next week's Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championships.
 
LVC (11-6, 4-2 MAC Freedom) got off to a quick start as they powered their way into the circle and earned the first penalty corner late in the fourth minute. Rebecca Lane had her shot off the corner blocked and then Claire Weidenhammer's attempt was saved by the Arcadia (9-9, 3-3 MAC Freedom) keeper. The Dutchmen earned another penalty corner with Sorrell Long taking a pair of shots that were saved. The Knights responded with their first quality look at goal in the sixth minute. Lauren Jancsarics used her glove to knock away the point-blank shot from the right side and then a rebound attempt went wide. The teams battled up and down the field until the 14th minute when Lexi Ward scored her fourth goal of the year on a blast from the right side that got past the keeper and hit the back left corner of the cage.
 
The Knights were able to even the score up in the 20th minute as they took advantage of a Dutchmen green card with a goal off a scrum in front of cage that was knocked in. AU kept the pressure on earning back-to-back penalty corners, but each time LVC came up big on defense not allowing a shot. The Dutchmen recovered and earned a penalty corner of their own in the 22nd minute. Abby Rodenberger had her shot attempt blocked off the corner attempt. Neither team was able to record a shot the rest of the half as the team headed into the break tied at one.
 
The third quarter was another defensive showcase by both teams as neither team allowed a shot for the first five minutes. LVC took the only shot of the quarter in the 37th minute when Long had her attempt blocked off a penalty corner. The Dutchmen defense gave up a penalty corner early in the quarter but that was the most offense the Knights were able to muster in an exciting period of back-and-forth play.
 
The Dutchmen broke through with the go-ahead goal early in the fourth quarter as Ward found the back of the cage for the second time tipping in a pass from Emily Kline. Arcadia pressed for the equalizing goal by the LVC defense stifled the offense to just a shot wide in the 53rd minute. The Dutchmen scored an insurance goal in the 57th minute as Sarah Leidich redirected a feed from Alana Antonello into the back of the cage.
 
Inside the Box

• Ward had her first career multi-goal game scoring on both shots she took.
• Leidich scored her second goal of the year and fifth of her career.
• Kline recorded her fifth assist of the season while Antonello dished out her third.
• The Dutchmen outshot the Knights 10-7 and didn't allow a single shot on goal in the second half.
• Jancsarics made two saves in cage before being relived by Jorja Fisher for the final 1:57.
• The Dutchmen won their second straight game against Arcadia in the first meeting since 2019 when both were still members of the MAC Commonwealth.
• LVC clinched the third seed in next week's conference tournament and will face the loser of Saturday's game between DeSales and Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals next Wednesday.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will honor their seven seniors on Saturday in the final regular season game of the year as LVC welcomes King's College to Arnold Field for a 6 p.m. start.

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