Cocalico edges Mounts in Section Two debut
- 10 September 2009
As backyard brawls go, this one lived up to its billing.Cocalico sophomore Liza Morgan scored the game-winning goal 4:51 into overtime as the Eagles slipped past host Ephrata 4-3 in a Section Two field hockey opener played in an almost steady rain Wednesday.
Morgan had tied the game at 3-3 when she pushed in the rebound of a Jordan Page shot with just under 14 minutes left in regulation.
Page scored the other two goals for the defending section champion Eagles (1-0 L-L, 2-1 overall), who found themselves in a 3-1 deficit just one minute into the second half before rallying for the victory.
"It's definitely a step in the right direction for us,'' said Cocalico coach Krista Page, who had a backyard rivalry of her own going, since Ephrata coach Rhoda Mountz is her cousin.
The Mountaineers (0-1, 0-3) put Cocalico in an early deficit, with Gabby Hopkins scoring off a beautiful cross from Megan Roda just 57 seconds into the game.
After Cocalico tied it at 1 on the first of Jordan Page's two goals, the Mounts ended up building a two-goal lead, with Rachel Stauffer scoring off a Hopkins assist 1:56 before intermission, and Roda using a Stauffer feed on a penalty corner 1:00 into the second half to go up 3-1. The Mounts scored three goals on their first three shots.
"I was happy that we scored on all three of our shots,'' said Mountz. "I just wasn't happy that that was all of the shots we had. We needed to put more pressure on (the goal) and do more with our opportunities.''
Instead, it was Cocalico that ultimately made the most of its chances.
Just moments after Krista Page put Morgan in as a substitute in the extra period, Carissa Witmer found the swift sophomore forward in the Ephrata circle.
"It was nerve-wracking,'' said Morgan. "I just found some space and got (the ball). I put my stick on it and put it in.''
It was the knockout blow that finally ended this early-season backyard brawl.
We here at www.ephratamounts.com are proud sponsors of the Dodgeball for Diabetes tournament.