COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Juniata field hockey team struggled against a persistent Lynchburg offense, as they fell to the Hornets 7-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Lynchburg opened the first quarter with a trio of shots that forced two saves from Brittney McMullen before finding the net on the third shot in the fifth minute. The Hornets launched five shots between the ninth and twelve, with McMullen forced to save three of the shots. They wrapped up the quarter with a goal in the 14th minute to hold a 2-0 advantage through one quarter.
Juniata swapped goalies in the second quarter, with Amanda Puza taking control. A wide Lynchburg shot in the 17th minute was followed by a goal in the 19th. Puza stopped three shots in the quarter but conceded a goal in the 23rd minute after Juniata failed to clear a penalty corner chance. Following one half of play, Juniata trailed by a 4-0 tally.
McMullen returned to the net in the third quarter, and she tallied four saves in a corner where Lynchburg had a game-high 11 shots and three goals. The Hornet's goals came in the 31st, 33rd, and 42nd minutes, with the second goal coming from a penalty corner to command a 7-0 lead with one period of play left.
The fourth corner saw Puza back as a goalkeeper as the Eagle's attacking force scored a pair of goals. A 49th-minute penalty corner saw two saved Kalee Rothermel shots before Tess Ledeboer found the net to break the shutout. Puza made two saves in the 50th minute before Juniata's Miranda Madara scored in the 57th minute with the assist of Rothermel. Puza saved another pair of shots in the waning minutes to settle the score at 7-2.
Each Juniata keeper saw 30 minutes of action apiece. McMullen made nine saves and held a .643 save percentage, while Puza made seven saves and sported a .778 save percentage.
Juniata's four shots came in the fourth quarter, while Lynchburg totaled 30 shots in the game.
The Eagles return to action Wednesday, September 14th, as they host the Lycoming College Warriors. The two sides meet for the first time since 1992. Juniata holds a 20-5-1 record in the matchup, and their .789 winning percentage against Lycoming is the Eagles' best against a non-Landmark Conference opponent.
