CLAYMONT — In a game dominated by defense, Padua’s field hockey game at Archmere on Oct. 20 was decided after the lone breakaway of the afternoon. Ava King scored on a penalty stroke with 3:11 left in overtime for the only goal of the game in a 1-0 Pandas win.
The overtime session, like regulation before it, was pretty evenly played. Pandas goalie Molly Murray made a save at the beginning of the extra session, and the Pandas added a defensive save a few minutes later as the Auks upped the pressure. Padua had the only penalty corner of the overtime.
Emme Mulvena (St. Mary Magdalen Parish) found herself ahead of two defenders as she raced down the left side of the field. As she crossed into the scoring circle, one of the Auks made contact, resulting in the stroke. King (St. Ann Parish) stepped up and sent a shot low into the left side of the cage.
Scoring opportunities in the contest were sparse. The defenses kept the ball away from their goalies, and the shots that were taken mostly went wide or were blocked. The Auks had a chance midway through the second quarter, but a tipped shot on a penalty corner missed the net. Another Auks shot was stopped by a Padua defender.
Each team finished with six shots on goal, and the Auks had an 8-6 advantage in penalty corners. Pandas goalie Molly Murphy had two saves. Padua (9-3-1) is at Odessa on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
For the Auks, goalie Paige Noval stopped five shots. Archmere (8-5) plays its regular-season home finale on Wednesday against Delaware Military at 3:30 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
