Oct. 25 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Posting their highest scoring total of the season, as well as their third shutout of the year, the Bethany College field hockey program defeated Transylvania University, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon.
Bethany got on the board first at the 7:56 mark of the first half as freshman Morgan Turner (Frederick, Md./Frederick) found Courtney Gill (Little Egg Harbor, N.J./Pinelands Regional) in front of the net. Gill then slipped a shot past the Pioneer goalie to give Bethany the 1-0 lead.
In the 29th minute, the Bison would once again find the net. After a barrage of shots, which included shots on net by Turner and junior Taylor Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seton), freshman Bailey Boardman (La Verne, Calif./Bonita) was able to place a rebound past the keeper for her first career goal, giving the Green & White a 2-0 lead. Bethany would take that advantage into the half.
In the second half, Boardman was once again in the right place at the right time as she corralled a kick save off of a shot from Gill to score her second goal of the game at the 43:20 mark to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Late into the second half, Bethany would strike again. Off of a corner attempt by sophomore Lauren Rao (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Sweet Home), the Bison used some great passing to set her up with a scoring chance. Freshman Hunter Webster (Newark, Del./Newark) found Solomon in front of the net, who lofted a pass into the air for Rao. Rao then knocked the ball past the Transylvania defense for her first goal of the season, rounding out the scoring at 4-0.
It was complete domination for the Bison, who earned their fourth win of the season under first-year head coach Kylie Hrahor. Bethany held a massive, 15-2 advantage in shots, as the defense allowed just one Pioneer shot in each half. The Green & White also totaled six penalty corners in the win, compared to five by Transylvania.
Individually, Boardman led the way for the Bison, notching two goals and four points in the victory. Gill and Rao each added a goal and two points, while Turner, Solomon and Webster finished with an assist each.
Defensively, goalie Courtney Snyder (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) made two saves, earning her second shutout of the season. She also improved to 2-3 on the year between the pipes.
The Bison, who have now totaled the most victories in a season since the program was restarted in 2012, will finish the home portion of their schedule on Sunday, Oct. 26 against Earlham College. The contest is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.
