Reilly Scores Game-Winning Goal for WC

SWARTHMORE, PA -- Sophomore midfielder Gussie Reilly (Buck Hill Falls, PA/Mercersburg Academy) scored the game-winning goal with 4:43 left in the contest to lift visiting Washington College to a 2-1 victory over host Swarthmore College in Centennial Conference field hockey action on Tuesday afternoon at Clothier Field. The Shorewomen improve to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the conference with the victory, while the Garnet fall to 4-5 and 1-2 respectively with the setback. Washington has now taken eight of the last nine meetings with Swarthmore.

Reilly took a pass from sophomore defender Brittany Palasik (Severna Park, MD/Archbishop Spalding) and put the ball past Swarthmore goalkeeper Gina Grubb at the 65:17 mark. The Garnet had one final chance to send the game into overtime, but Washington senior goalkeeper Elena Nicholoff (Tunkhannock, PA/Lackawanna Trail) stopped a shot by Sophia Ferguson after time had expired to end the game. The game continued after time had expired due to Swarthmore being awarded a penalty corner before the clock had hit zero.

The Shorewomen wasted little time getting onto the board in the first half as senior attack Kelsey Kemp (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) converted a feed from senior attack Kristin Bircsak (East Windsor, NJ/Hightstown) and scored from the left side just 2:16 into the game to put the guests up 1-0. The Garnet had a golden chance to knot the game at 25:27, but a defensive save by Palasik kept the hosts off the scoreboard. Just 28 seconds later, Swarthmore got a penalty stroke, but Katie Teleky's stroke attempt was stopped by Nicholoff. WC would take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Swarthmore's Joslyn Young would put the ball into the cage with 21:34 left in the game to tie the contest at 1-1 with Hoa Pham picking up the assist. The game would remain tied until Reilly's game-winner.

Washington outshot Swarthmore, 13-8, in the game and held an 8-6 edge in penalty corners in the contest. Nicholoff turned away five shots to chalk up the victory for the visitors, while Grubb recorded four saves for the hosts.

The Shorewomen, who have won three in a row all by the score of 2-1, return to action Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. road non-conference game at Goucher.