Field Hockey Handles Hood for First Win of Season

FREDERICK, Md. – Sophomore Justine Ruhlin (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) continued her scintillating start to the 2013 season, with the second of her two goals lifting Goucher to a 3-1 victory at Hood this afternoon.

Lizzie Barminski (Ventura, Calif./Buena) added an insurance goal for the Gophers (1-5), while Hood dropped to 2-5 with the defeat.

Goucher dominated play throughout, holding a 35-9 edge in shots. Much of that disparity came in the opening 35 minutes, with the Gophers generating 22 of the 25 first half shot attempts.

The first goal, however, did not come until the last of those 22 shots, with Ruhlin taking a pass from Megan Meluskey (Wilmington, Del./Concord) and nailing the ball past goalie Ying Van Schaik with 52 seconds remaining before the intermission. Meluskey picked up her first point of the season with the assist.

Ten minutes into the second half, Hood equalized off of a penalty corner scramble. Rachel Marlow tucked in a loose ball past Goucher goalie Demie Huffman (Granville, Ohio/Granville) to even up the score at one.

Ruhlin quickly responded five minutes later. Led on a breakaway by Barminski, the sophomore forward fired a shot past Van Schaik to give the Gophers the advantage. She now has six goals on the season after only six games, already surpassing her season-total of five from 2012.

Hood managed five shots in the remainder of the half, but Goucher's defense was up to the task, with Gopher defenders blocking three of those shots and Huffman registering a save on another.

Barminski put the game out of reach with 2:27 remaining. Annie Carter (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) led her on a breakaway, and the freshman forward converted for her first career collegiate goal. Barminski and Ruhlin each established new season-highs in shots. Barminski led the way with nine, eight of which were on target, while Ruhlin added eight of her own.

Meluskey and Carter chipped in five shots of their own. The 35 shots for Goucher is the most since the Gophers managed 37 in a 5-0 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 9, 2012.

Huffman made a pair of saves in goal to record her first win of the season.

Goucher returns to Beldon Field this Saturday with a 4 p.m. matchup against Sweet Briar.