CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley field hockey team battled until the very end on Wednesday evening in a tough 3-2 MAC Freedom Semifinal setback at second-seeded DeSales University in Center Valley.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the first 10 minutes to take the early lead. LVC battled back and cut the deficit in half at the beginning of the second quarter.
Maggie McAteer took the ball at midfield, dribbled into the circle, and pushed the ball past the keeper and into the left corner of the cage to make it 2-1. The Flying Dutchmen continued to pressure the Bulldogs throughout the contest, with
Claire Weidenhammer nearly leveling the score minutes later before a defensive save kept DeSales in front.
Ella Weidenhammer kept Lebanon Valley within striking distance all evening, making several key saves against a relentless DeSales attack. Her efforts allowed LVC to stay in the fight as the Dutchmen continued generating opportunities through penalty corners and offensive pressure. DeSales extended its lead to 3-1 late in the third quarter with a goal. Just over a minute into the fourth,
Claire Weidenhammer buried a goal off a setup from
Jillian Tait to bring the Dutchmen back within one and ignite a furious final push. Tait found Weidenhammer over the middle, and the senior captain struck it past the keeper to get the deficit back down to one.
The final quarter belonged to the Dutchmen. LVC earned multiple penalty corners, fired several shots on goal, and kept the pressure mounted deep into the closing minutes.
Danika Setlock, Tait, and the Lebanon Valley attack challenged the Bulldogs repeatedly, while Tait generated several dangerous opportunities down the stretch as the Dutchmen searched for the equalizer. However, they were unable to get the ball into the back of the cage as the Bulldogs held on for the victory.
Inside the Box
- Claire Weidenhammer scored her 20th goal of the season while taking three shots. The forward finished her career with 61 goals, which is fifth in program history.
- McAteer scored her fourth goal of the season on her only shot of the game.
- Tait recorded her seventh assist of the year and took six shots.
- Ella Weidenhammer made seven saves in goal to finish with 124 on the season. Her 281 saves in three seasons at LVC are fifth in program history.
- The Dutchmen finish the season with an 11-7 record, marking the fourth straight year with at least 10 wins.
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