MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Sophie Ruhl and first-year Maddie Greco led the Union College field hockey team with two goals apiece as seven different players scored in the team's dominating 9-0 victory over Morrisville State College on Wednesday afternoon at Drake Field.
Ruhl led all players with a career-high five points, scoring twice and adding an assist for Union (5-5), while Greco scored a pair of goals for the second straight outing. Sophomore Megan Dorsey had four points as well with a goal and two helpers, first-year Brooke Spiegel had a goal and an assist, while three others - senior Haley Dineen, junior Grace Goddard and first-year Reese Fendelet - scored as well for the visitors.
It took the visitors less than two minutes to get on the scoreboard, finding the net just 110 seconds into the contest. After a scramble in front of the Mustangs net resulted in a penalty stroke, Dineen stepped to the spot and scored the first goal of her collegiate career to put Union ahead early. Union struck again with 4:18 remaining in the opening frame, when Fendelet one-timed a feed from senior Ella Brinkley into the back of the net for her third goal of the season.
After starting the second stanza with plenty of pressure in the Morrisville end, Goddard broke through again with 6:24 remaining, stickhandling past a pair of defenders before potting her third tally of the year. The visitors struck again with 3:08 on the clock, when Ruhl received a corner at the top of the arc and fed to her right to Dorsey, who sent a chopper through traffic in front for her (at the time) team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Garnet Chargers started the second half just as they did the first, scoring in the opening two minutes. This time it was Greco continuing her recent hot streak at the 1:32 mark, tapping in a pass from Dorsey at the left post off a penalty corner attempt. Another corner resulted in another goal with 4:54 elapsed in the third period, as Ruhl and Dorsey reversed roles. This time it was Dorsey taking the feed and passing off to Ruhl for the long-range strike, her third goal of the season as well.
Union made it a seven-goal advantage with 5:11 left in the third stanza when Brinkley fed a pass across the goal-mouth that was redirected by Spiegel to a waiting Greco at the back post to tap in for her team-leading seventh tally of the season and fourth in the last two games.
Ruhl continued her excellent game with her second of the day 2:53 into the fourth period, tapping home her own rebound in front of the Morrisville net. Spiegel finished off the scoring with 11:31 remaining, notching the first goal of her collegiate career to make it a nine-goal Union lead.
Union held a commanding 54-2 edge in shots and took the only 22 penalty corners of the game. First-year goalie Caroline Lewkowicz earned her first collegiate start and made one save to earn the first win of her career.
Union will return home on Saturday for a big Liberty League matchup against Skidmore College beginning at 1 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
