VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The #14 Shenandoah University field hockey won their ninth straight game and remained undefeated in the conference play after picking up a 5-0 victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon. A battle of unbeaten teams, the Hornets (11-2, 3-0) got goals from four different Hornets as Shenandoah dominated the Marlins. The Hornets out shot Virginia Wesleyan 28-2, including 18-1 shots on cage, and had a significant advantage on penalty corners 16-2. The Hornets got goals from
Madison Short,
Elizabeth Ranberger,
Farren Winter, and
Claudia Lenahan.
Taylor Swann started in goal for the Hornets and picked up her 11
th win of the season, while making one save in the game.
Claudia Lenahan led all players with seven shots, while
Cassidy Morrison was next with six shots, and Winter third with five shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hornets started quickly as they pressured the Marlin back line. Shenandoah drew a corner first two minutes into the game.
Mairead McKibbin was able to get back-to-back shots off but each were saved by the Marlins' goalie.
Claudia Lenahan then fired a shot that sailed just wide of the cage but earned the Hornets another corner opportunity.
Madison Short started the corner with a pass out to the top of the circle,
Camryn DeLeva quickly got the ball back towards the cage, where
Mairead McKibbin redirected it to a wide-open Short who buried the ball for her second goal of the year. Looking to add to the lead, the Hornets got two more shots from
Kaitlyn Nakamura and
Claudia Lenahan, but both shots went wide. After two
Cassidy Morrison shots, the Hornets earned another corner. Short inserted the ball, and DeLeva fired a shot that was saved. The ball bounced back to McKibbin who slotted the ball to
Elizabeth Ranberger for the goal. The Marlins got their only shot of the period after the second goal, but it was no issue for Swann.
In the second the Hornets continued to pressure the Marlins with three corners and six shots, but could not increase their lead. The Marlins had one penalty corner of their own in the quarter, but did not get any shots off and Shenandoah took a 2-0 lead into the half.
The Hornets wasted little time in the third as they earned back-to-back corners to start the period before Lenahan sent a shot out wide. After three more penalty corners,
Cassidy Morrison looked to add to her team-leading 15 goals but was turned away by the keeper.
Farren Winter took advantage of a Marlins turnover, and after dribbling through a few players, blasted a shot from the top of the circle to make it a 3-0 game. The Hornets picked up another corner and shot from Lenahan but took the 3-0 lead into the final quarter.
Using any attempt to get back into the game, the Marlins used a power play to earn their second corner of the game and got off their second shot, which was blocked and never made its way to Swann, thus ending any threat. It was the Hornets' turn to go back on the offensive as Shenandoah earned four more corners, getting shots from Lenahan and Morrison, both saved by the goalie. Off of the Hornets' last corner,
Madison Short inserted the ball to the top of the circle where Lenahan sent a bouncing ball past the defenders and keeper to make it 4-0. Off of the restart, the Marlins took the ball into the Hornets' territory, but Shenandoah stole the ball back and went the other way it. Lenahan took the ball at the top of the circle and dribbled to the left side of the goal and as she backed her defender down, crossed the ball to Ranberger who iced the game with her second goal of the day.
UP NEXT
The Hornets will stay on the road as they continue conference play on Saturday and they will travel to Sweet Briar for a battle with the Vixens.
#GoSUHornets
