MIFFLINBURG — The Warrior Run field hockey team intends to ensure that every team gets every goal and every win against the Defenders this season.
The Mifflinburg team found out in Monday’s Heartland-II showdown when Warrior Run denied a scoring chance after scoring a chance the Wildcats had in the first half.
The Defenders, however, couldn’t keep the Wildcats off the board forever.
A rookie Anna Pachucki goal in the third quarter broke a scoreless tie for Mifflinburg, and the Wildcats scored another goal late in the fourth from Marissa Allen to claim a 2-0 win at the area’s middle school. from Mifflinburg.
The victory ends a two-game losing streak for Mifflinburg (3-5 on aggregate), which includes an overtime heartbreaker against Midd-West last week.
“Obviously, the statistics don’t lie. We had more chances that we didn’t take advantage of,” said Mifflinburg coach Emily Stauffer, whose team outshot the Defenders in both shots (23-0) and corners ( 19-1) in the evening, but had only two goals to score. show for these efforts.
“Yes, being on the winning side again is definitely a bit nicer,” added the Mifflinburg manager.
The Wildcats earned eight penalty corners and fired six shots off Defenders goalie Hailey Carper in the first half, but were turned down each time.
This has been a recurring problem for Mifflinburg so far this season.
“I’ve said this before, but corners are a free kick in hockey, and it’s one of the very few set pieces in hockey, and it’s really something that should be to our advantage and we have to capitalize on those opportunities, and at first, we didn’t,” Stauffer said.
“Warrior Run was flying three high. They put pressure on the receivers (the corner inserts) and our hitters. Kudos to them for really knowing our game plan, and kudos to them for having a good corner defense.
Mifflinburg came out in the third quarter more determined to score a goal, and Pachucki provided it with 9:19 remaining.
A long Evelyn Osborne free kick was aimed straight at Pachucki from the right post, and the rookie only had to tip it over to score his second goal of the season and ultimately put the Wildcats on the board.
“I was like zoned out, but I saw Evelyn and I knew what she was going to do, and I guess I just did what my body told me to do,” Pachucki said. “I haven’t been very good this season in terms of goals so it was a big relief to score this goal.”
Said Stauffer, “When the girls don’t play their best in the first half, I think that motivates them in the second half. The first goal is the hardest, but I felt very optimistic (when Anna scored). Yes, we needed it, but we also need to bring the fun and optimism back to hockey. »
After this goal, Stauffer feared that his team would let go and allow Warrior Run (1-6) to score the equalizer.
The Wildcats defense prevented that from happening, and once Allen netted an Osborne assist with just 31 seconds left in the game, Stauffer didn’t have to worry anymore.
The goal was Allen’s first of the season.
“For (Pachucki and Allen) capitalizing on their opportunities, it’s been a tough road for those two,” Stauffer said. “The fact that they came out of their own head and put the ball in the back of the net hopefully just unlocked the doors for them, and hopefully there’s more to come.”
Warrior Run, on the other hand, couldn’t do much offensively against Mifflinburg, but the Defenders defense really got stronger.
“The girls played very hard and they came out wanting to win this match. They put all their effort into it, and it stinks that we couldn’t score a goal,” said Warrior Run coach Liz Klees. “My defense really played strong today, and I knew it would be more of a defensive game.
Carper, for her part, did everything she could to keep the Defenders in the game with her 21 saves.
“Hailey made some really good saves and she came out of it really well after a concussion. She was out for a little while and she came back strong, and I’m happy with her effort today,” said said Klees.
“I feel like with every game we’re getting better and better, and I think the girls see that. They’ve definitely held on, but if people want to win against us, we’re going to put them to work. for it.
Mifflinburg next plays Central Columbia Wednesday at 7 p.m., while Warrior hosts Midd-West at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Mifflinburg 2, Warrior Run 0
Miff-Anna Pachucki, assists Evelyn Osborne, 9:19.
Miff-Marissa Allen, assists Osborne, :31.
Shots: Mifflinburg, 23-0; Penalty corners: Mifflinburg, 19-1; Stops: Mifflinburg (Lilee Dorman), 0; Warrior Run (Hailey Carper), 21.
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