Shannon KeoughMaura Gordon achieved her third hat trick of the season as the women’s field hockey team pulled off a dynamic 3-1 win against Gwynedd-Mercy on Saturday, Oct. 24.
“The team’s morale was so high coming off of that huge win at The College of New Jersey on Oct. 22,” Lauren Alessi, sophomore forward and political science major, said.
Alessi had an impressive outing during the game, scoring the winning goal against TCNJ, who is ranked 12th in Division III field hockey in the country.
If anyone was riding high on morale, it was Gordon, sophomore midfielder, who began her quest for the hat trick within the first minute of the game. She was met by a perfect pass from Lynda Kaufman that she put in the back of the net.
After this first goal, both defenses tightened up. It was a stalemate until the 27th minute where Gwynedd-Mercy’s Dottie O’Neil assisted Kayla Farrow with a pass, which she converted into a goal.
O’Neil is recognized as one of the best players on Gwynedd-Mercy’s team so the Cavaliers decided to faceguard her. This silenced O’Neil for the rest of the matchup as the Cavs came out hungry at halftime.
Gordon came up on her second goal at the 42-minute mark of the game. Junior midfielder Shannon Mulhern was accredited with the assist. Her third goal, to complete the hat trick, came within the 59th minute. Gordon leads the Cavaliers with 15 goals this season.
“Gwynedd could be a team that we play in the first round of the playoffs so it was good to get a glimpse of the possible competition we might be facing later on in the season,” Amanda Smith, sophomore forward and graphic design major, said.
The referees had their hands full as the game turned out to be a little more physical than planned. A yellow card was issued to a Cabrini player and a team green card was issued to Gwynedd-Mercy.
“It is rare to even see one card in a game, let alone two. These girls weren’t giving up easy and neither were we,” Liz Krupka, sophomore forward and communication major, said.
With the win, Cabrini now has a record of 8-9 overall while Gwynedd-Mercy has a record of 11-6 overall. Both teams are 6-2 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
The Cavaliers will be finishing up their regular season at home against Alvernia University on Thursday, Oct. 29. Cabrini hopes the high morale continues into the final game, as well as in the playoffs, where they will continue their journey for the league title.
