As the minutes ticked away and the game remained scoreless, Fleetwood’s frustration grew.
The sixth-seeded Tigers controlled much of their District 3 Class 2A field hockey opener against visiting and 11th-seeded New Oxford. But the hard work wasn’t showing up on the scoreboard.
“It’s obviously frustrating to be out there and have the ball so often and not capitalize,” said Fleetwood senior Natalie Slusser. “But ultimately we did what we needed to do.”
Casey Lynn Dewald scored midway through the fourth quarter to lift Fleetwood to a 1-0 win over New Oxford. The victory sends the Tigers (16-4) to the quarterfinals on Saturday to play at third-seeded Northern York at a time to be determined.
Fleetwood held advantages of 11-5 in shots and 10-7 in penalty corners over the Colonials (10-8). The Tigers had the ball on their offensive side of the field for a majority of the game.
But the Tigers couldn’t get on the scoreboard until Dewald broke free for her 43rd goal of the season and 123rd of her career with 8:35 remaining.
“I think we all worked really well to keep it out and we worked well to get it up the field,” Dewald said. “Although it did take many opportunities we finally got one in.”
Since the top seven teams in 2A qualify for the PIAA Tournament, the victory guarantees Fleetwood at least three more games this season. The Tigers need one more win to advance to states.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment