WILMINGTON — St. Elizabeth’s field hockey team wrapped up its 2022 season Nov. 2 at Conrad. The scoreboard read 3-0 Red Wolves, but the Vikings could take some solace in the fact that the program took some steps forward this season, its first under coach Haley Will.
The Vikings wrapped up 2022 with a 6-9 record, a four-game improvement over 2021.
The teams played with just 10 girls on each side, as St. Elizabeth — which had 12 players on its roster — was without two starters, leaving them shorthanded. Conrad held possession for much of the first quarter and finally connected with 6:38 remaining. In a mad scramble in the crease, the Red Wolves’ Madison Strattman took a feed from Kylie Seale and beat sprawling Vikings goalkeeper Alyssa Graziose for the 1-0 lead. Graziose kept the margin at one with a nice stop toward the end of the first.
It didn’t take long for the Red Wolves to double their lead once the second quarter started. This one came off a penalty corner. An initial shot for Conrad was stopped by a St. E’s defender, but the Red Wolves’ Erin Glanz pounced on the rebound and deposited it to make it 2-0 two and a half minutes into the second.
Kayla Dillon added the final goal a few minutes before halftime, with Glanz getting the assist.
Graziose and her defense made a few nice stops on penalty corners early in the third, and the Vikings put some pressure on Conrad’s defense in the final quarter. A St. Elizabeth shot smacked off the post behind Red Wolves goalkeeper Hailey Hughes with a bit over 12 minutes to go. Four minutes later, Hughes stoned Mackenzie Hilferty from short range, with the rebound rolling just wide. Hughes added a few more saves after that.
Hughes had seven saves for the Red Wolves. Conrad finished the regular season 8-7.
Graziose had four saves for St. Elizabeth.
All photos by Mike Lang.
