NEW YORK, N.Y. -- When the Fairfield University and Columbia University field hockey teams took the field today, no one could predict the shootout that would occur between the two teams. The two squads combined for eight goals in regulation, but a winner could not be determined after 70 minutes of play. And, a winner could not be determined after 80 or 90 minutes of action. And so, the game literally became a shootout as penalty strokes would determine the winner this afternoon. When the round was over, Columbia escaped with the 5-4 victory which handed the Stags their third straight one-goal setback.
The Stags and the Lions battled back and forth throughout the afternoon, with neither team being able to grab too much of a command during regulation. Columbia was the first team to put a goal on the scoreboard, and they did it as about as quickly as possible to start the game. Brooke Gasser put the home team in front just 100 seconds into the game with a shot off a penalty corner. Fairfield tied the game courtesy of Corrine Perischetti's third goal of the season, an unassisted goal at the at the 7:59 mark of the first half. The Lions regained the lead when Emma Wiklund secured a pass in the center of the circle and beat the goalkeeper to the far corner, making it a 2-1 advantage for Columbia.
Fairfield found its stride by scoring three straight goals, two of which came in the first half.
Emma Matlach started the scoring string when she converted a pass from
Luzi Persiehl, sending a shot between the legs of the goalkeeper to tie the score with 15 minutes remaining in the half. The Stags regained the lead nine minutes later after
Danielle Profita secured a pass in the left corner of the circle after a penalty corner, and slammed a shot into the cage for a 3-2 halftime lead.
The visitors continued its scoring run in the second half as
Cassie Hughes connected on a goal which was set up by pin-point passing from Persiehl and Matlach, providing the Stags with their biggest lead of the game at 4-2 with 20 minutes left in regulation. Columbia rallied for a pair of goals over a two-minute span that tied the game at 4-4 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half. Emily Maclean posted the first of those two goals with 12 minutes left in the half, followed by Jennifer Trieschman's goal around the 10-minute mark.
Fairfield dominated the extra periods by out shooting Columbia by a 10-0 margin, but Lions' goalkeeper Katie Dempsey was able to turn away the four Stags shots that were on target, keeping the game square at 4-4. With the game still tied after 20 minutes of overtime, the teams met for a shootout to determine the game. Columbia owned a one-goal edge when the penalty strokes were over which was enough to secure the win.
Fairfield returns to conference play when it hosts Monmouth University on October 19. Game time is 4 pm.
