WINCHESTER, Va. – The number 21
st-ranked Shenandoah Hornets welcomed the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets to town for a conference matchup. The Hornets (10-3, 5-2) took care of the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 12-8. Shenandoah was led by
Emily Lerch who had four goals and an assist in the contest to go along with one ground ball.
Ainsley Buckner was the only other Hornet with multiple goals, as the senior netted two as well as had an assist, four draw controls, and a ground ball.
Gabriella Raspanti was the other Hornet with multiple points with a goal and two assists, while
Madison Re,
Sofia Albi,
Emily Ransom,
Amy Bell, and
Elizabeth Szell all had goals for Shenandoah.
Julianna Fohner led the way with two caused turnovers, three ground balls, and a draw control for the defense.
Madison Perry got the start in goal for the Hornets and picked up the win while making five saves and allowing six goals. Perry also had two ground balls for Shenandoah.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Shenandoah started quickly with Buckner winning the opening draw control. As the Hornets set up their offense, Buckner was awarded a free position shot, which she buried for her team-leading 31st goal of the season 40 seconds into the game.
- Madison Re quickly made it 2-0 just over two minutes later after a Macon turnover, where Julianna Fohner picked up the ground ball, and found Buckner, who missed the shot high, but on the restart, it was Re from Gabriella Raspanti.
- With 5:07 remaining in the first, Emily Lerch scored the first of her four goals as the Hornets now led 3-0, off an assist from Buckner.
- 30 seconds later, Macon took the draw control and got on the board with their first goal of the game.
- 90 seconds later, Macon struck again to make it a one-goal deficit and scored on a free position goal.
- However, the Hornets pushed the lead back up to two goals before the first quarter expired on two goals in about 30 seconds. First, it was Amy Bell's free position goal before Buckner scored her second off the assist from Lerch.
- Macon had a few attempts early in the second, but Madison Perry was up to the task and kept the Yellow Jackets out of the back of the net.
- Gabriella Raspanti took advantage of a woman-up opportunity and made Macon pay, as the score was now 6-2.
- Macon, now on a penalty kill, took advantage of a Hornet turnover and scored a free position goal to cut the lead in half.
- But with under two minutes to play in the half, Raspanti found a cutting Elizabeth Szell, who beat the keeper making it a 7-3 game.
- On the ensuing draw control, that Macon won, they marched down the field Lilly Fowler beat Madison Perry as the Hornets took a 7-4 lead into the break.
- Both teams exchanged goals early in the third as it was still a 3-goal game. The Hornets' eighth goal came from Emily Ransom.
- Three straight goals from the Hornets over the final 1:15 of the quarter made it an 11-5 game. Emily Lerch scored twice, to complete the hat trick, while Sofia Albi picked up the other goal.
- Lerch then picked up her fourth goal of the game in the fourth, as the Hornets had back-to-back shots from Buckner and Bell before Lerch cashed in.
- Macon attempted to make the game interesting by scoring the next three goals while holding the Hornets scoreless the remaining way, but the lead was too big as the Hornets picked up a big conference win over Randolph-Macon 12-8.
UP NEXT:
The Hornets continue conference play when they hit the road on Wednesday to meet up with the second-seeded in the ODAC University of Lynchburg for some Hornet on Hornet crime. That game is scheduled to start at 5 pm.
#GoSUHornets
