Palasik Breaks Single-Season Centennial Record, Ties Career School Record for Defensive Saves

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- Junior defender Brittany Palasik (Severna Park, MD/Archbishop Spalding) broke the single-season Centennial Conference record for defensive saves and tied the school record for defensive saves as the host Washington College field hockey team defeated visiting Gettysburg, 3-1, this afternoon on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium. The win was the first for the Shorewomen over the Bullets since 2003, breaking a string of seven straight Gettysburg wins in the series.

Palasik gave the Shorewomen (6-7, 4-2 Centennial) a 1-0 lead with 27:00 remaining in the first half when she fired in a shot off a rebound from the right of the goal. Palasik picked up her single-season conference record-tying 14th defensive save of the season on a shot by Gettysburg's Sarah Cole with 19:17 left in the first half. She tied the record set by Dickinson's Dina Pietrangelo in 1999. Washington increased its lead to 2-0 when junior midfielder Gussie Reilly (Buck Hill Falls, PA/Mercersburg Academy) lofted in a shot in the middle of the circle after junior attack Emily Trees (Kensington, MD/Connelly School of the Holy Child) sent her a short pass following a long run down the right side.

Palasik broke the single-season conference record for defensive saves on a shot by Alyssa Heimbach with 27:17 left in the game. That defensive save was also the 23rd of Palasik's career, tying the school career record set by Lindsey Riley from 2003-2006. Heimbach put the Bullets (5-8, 3-3) on the board with a penalty stroke goal three second later, however, to trim the lead to 2-1. Washington scored an insurance goal when senior defender Sara Rutkowski (Wernersville, PA/Conrad Weiser) tipped in a ball at the left post off a long blast from Reilly with 12:23 remaining. 

Senior goalkeeper Shannon Davis (Sykesville, MD/Liberty) made a career-best 12 saves in the win for the Shorewomen, helping offset a 21-11 advantage in shots and a 17-5 margin in penalty corners for the Bullets. Megan Feeg made three saves for Gettysburg. 

The Shorewomen's last win over the Bullets was a 2-1 victory on October 18, 2003. 

The Shorewomen return to action Wednesday with a 7:00 p.m. Centennial Conference game at Haverford.