BUFFALO, N.Y. — Molloy (1-0) secured a 1-0 victory over D'Youville (0-1) on Friday night at Dobson Field, with the decisive goal coming in the third quarter amidst a strong defensive performance that limited the Saints to just four shots.
The first quarter saw a strategic focus on penalty corners for the home team, D'Youville, with
Madisyn Grawl executing three corners, the first occurring in the 4th minute. Despite the consistent pressure, highlighted by
Addyson Trimbell's shot on goal in the 15th minute that was saved by Molloy's goalkeeper, Kayla Balsamo, the quarter ended scoreless. Both teams displayed a physical style of play, contributing to numerous fouls throughout the opening 15 minutes.
The second quarter commenced with a string of fouls, predominantly against D'Youville, totaling nine infractions, which set a challenging tone for the home team. Molloy capitalized on this with several offensive plays, including three penalty corners by Catherine Amini, but their efforts were thwarted by D'Youville's
Sarah Reifsnyder, who made a crucial save in the 24th minute. Despite the persistent pressure from Molloy, the score remained tied at 0-0 by the end of the quarter.
The third quarter of play commenced with a series of fouls committed by the home team, hampering D'Youville's initial momentum. Molloy capitalized on a penalty corner (34'), as Gianna Mastrocco scored the only goal of the quarter, despite a valiant defensive save by
Chloe Burkhard moments earlier. The Saints'
Sami Neidhold attempted to respond with a shot (42'), but it went wide, leaving the score at 1-0 in favor of Molloy as the quarter concluded.
The fourth quarter began with D'Youville's
Madisyn Grawl executing back-to-back penalty corners, though her attempt on goal shortly after went wide. Molloy responded with persistent fouling, while goalkeeper
Sarah Reifsnyder made a crucial save (54') on a shot by Nikki Longhitano to keep the Saints competitive. Despite a blocked shot by
Olivia McClaine in the 58th minute of action, D'Youville was unable to convert opportunities into goals, ending the quarter scoreless against Molloy.
Nicole Chapungu made her presence felt defensively with a defensive save to deny the opposing offense. Reifsnyder stood firm in goal, recording three saves across 60 minutes of play. Trimbell contributed offensively with a shot on goal, testing the opposing goalkeeper. Burkhard added to the defensive efforts with a crucial defensive save.
Looking ahead, the D'Youville field hockey team will host Mercy University on September 7 at 10:30 a.m. The matchup will take place at Dobson Field in Buffalo, N.Y.
