Friday, October 29
Davidson, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College
3
vs
2
Radford
Finley Amato
Davidson Field Hockey Claims Share of Division Title with OT Win
10/29/2010 10:32:00 PM | Field Hockey
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Sophomore Finley Amato scored the game-winning goal three minutes, 19 seconds into overtime to lift the Davidson field hockey team over Radford, 3-2 and guarantee the first-place Wildcats at least a tie for the NorPac East Division title Friday night at Belk Turf Field.
Davidson improved to 4-1 in the NorPac East (12-6 overall), giving them their first winning conference record since 2003 and their most overall wins since 1994, while Radford will finish division play at 2-4 and stands at 8-9 overall.
Amato (Lake Forest, Ill.) tallied two goals in the game, her team- and conference-leading 13th and 14th of the season, tying her with Agnes Bateman (1980) and former NorPac Player of the Year Kayli Maxwell (2007) for the fourth-highest single-season total all-time at Davidson. The record is 18.
Amato needs just four more points to tie Lea Jaeger (2000) and Cathy Inabet's (1980) school single-season point-scoring record of 36. Her total of 32 ties her at fifth all-time with Gigi Cooke (1989).
The win guarantees the Wildcats at least a share of the NorPac East title for the second time in team history. Davidson and Appalachian State were co-division champions in 2003. An Appalachian State win over Longwood Saturday or a Davidson victory over App. State Sunday will give Davidson their first outright NorPac East championship.
The Wildcats controlled possession for much of the game, but a strong Radford defensive effort kept the game locked in a 2-2 stalemate for the duration of the second half, sending the game to overtime.
“It was a good team effort tonight and a great NorPac win,” said Davidson head coach Ginny Turner. “We controlled more of the possession but Radford's defense did a great job stepping up. We'll look to do a better job of capitalizing on our opportunities and earn another win Sunday.”
Davidson took advantage of the extra space the 7-on-7 play created and Amato nearly scored in the third minute of the extra frame after stealing the ball from a Radford defender in the circle, but Radford goalkeeper Jennifer Wisniewski was able to make the save on Amato's shot from outside the right post. Just a minute later, a giveaway right in front of the cage gave Amato an open cage to shoot on, and she buried it to seal the victory.
The 'Cats came out strong at the start with Amato opening the scoring with a blast from right of the goal in the seventh minute, on which senior Jennie Mostellar (New Bern, N.C.) was credited with the assist, but Radford answered just 18 seconds later. Kay Tufts deflected a shot from Madonna Wadolowski into the top left corner of the goal, and Radford pulled ahead, 2-1 in the 24th minute when Courtney Poole was able to carry the ball from midfield into the circle and lift it over sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Fisher (Fredericksburg, Va.)
The Wildcats kept the pressure on though and senior Ellie Szykowny (Columbus, Ohio) knocked in a point-blank attempt in the 28th minute, with junior Christine Rua (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earning the assist, to even the game at 2-2. Davidson managed just three shots in the second half before scoring on their second attempt early in overtime.
Davidson finished with a 13-9 advantage in the category for the game, and held a 5-2 advantage in penalty corners. Wisniewski made five saves, while Fisher stopped three.
The 'Cats will honor their four seniors prior to Sunday's match against Appalachian State, which is set to start at 2 p.m. at Belk Turf Field. The Wildcats will then host the NorPac tournament Thursday-Saturday, and will first play Thursday at either 11 a.m. or 4 p.m.
Notes: The Wildcats have scored 50 goals this season, and need two more to equal the single-season record of 52 … Davidson has never earned five NorPac regular season wins in the same season.
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