WILMINGTON — The St. Georges field hockey team was hanging around Ursuline through the first half of their game on Oct. 21, but the Raiders maintained most of the pressure in the second half on the way to a 4-1 win at Serviam Field. Kendall Gulli led the way for Ursuline, banging in three goals and adding an assist on the fourth.
The Raiders were able to get the game’s first goal in a first quarter that stood out primarily because of the Ursuline defense. On their third penalty corner opportunity of the quarter, Molly Anderson inserted the ball to the top of the scoring circle, where Gulli (St. Ann Parish) took a big swing and sent it cleanly past Hawks goalie Abbigail Jamison.
Robyn Clark scored the equalizer for St. Georges three minutes into the second. She took possession around midfield and dribbled through and around a few defenders before knocking a shot past Ursuline goalie Georgia Rassias. Despite several penalty corners for the Raiders, that was the only goal of the second.
A different Raiders team took the field after the break. They moved the ball more crisply and at a quicker pace, keeping St. Georges on its heels. Jamison came up with a few saves to preserve the tie, and her defense did its best to keep the Raiders out of the scoring circle.
Another penalty corner, however, was the source of the eventual game-winning goal for Ursuline. This time, Gulli was closer to the goal when her shot went high off the right post and into the net with 6:30 remaining in the third. Anderson picked up her second assist. The Raiders had more chances but could not add to the lead, and Rassias (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) kept them in the lead by stopping Brielle Bennett on a breakaway in the final minute of the quarter.
The Raiders continued to apply heat into the fourth, but the Hawks’ defense matched them step for step until the 8:42 mark. On yet another corner, the inbound pass went to Caroline Lober, who sent a crossing pass to Gulli. She hit the empty net to complete the hat trick. Their final goal came when Elizabeth Songle, stationed in front of Jamison, knocked a shot that would have gone out of bounds into the net with a chest-high backhand swing. Gulli got the helper.
Ursuline had a 10-4 shot advantage and earned 16 penalty corners to three for the Hawks. Rassias had three saves. The Raiders (6-5) host William Penn on Friday at 4 p.m.
For the Hawks, Jamison stopped six shots. St. Georges (4-9) is home for its final two games, beginning Friday at 3:45 p.m. against Sanford.
Photos by Mike Lang.
