Ruhlin Reaches 25 Career Goals in Shutout Victory

TOWSON, Md. — With her tally 1:28 into tonight's contest, Justine Ruhlin (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) became only the sixth player in program history to score 25 goals in her career, and that would turn out to be all the offense Goucher needed in a 3-0 shutout victory over Immaculata from Beldon Field.

The Gophers (4-1) matched their best start through five games since 1995, and they avenged last year's 2-1 defeat to the Mighty Macs (1-4).

Ruhlin's strike was the first chance of the match for either team. Annie Carter (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) fired a slap pass from the top right portion of the circle, and Ruhlin was in position for an easy tap-in past Immaculata goalie Sarah Pasternak.

The senior forward has now scored in each of Goucher's four victories. She moved into a tie with Katherine Perry for the fifth-most goals in team history, and she is now just two behind Saburah Posner for fourth place.

The Gophers struck again in the 15th minute of the opening half. Emily Jewell (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) fired in a low shot from outside the circle which was deflected by Olivia Dickert (Montville, N.J./Montville Twp.) past Pasternak for her first goal as a Gopher. Jewell picked up her second assist of the season.

The Mighty Macs would end up with a 6-5 advantage in shots during the opening 35 minutes, but they could not get anything past Demie Huffman (Granville, Ohio/Granville) in goal. Huffman made three saves in the first half, and she added four more after the intermission before giving way to Taylor Striar (Laurel Hollow, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) with less than eight minutes to play.

Another freshman scoring her first collegiate goal accounted for Goucher's third strike of the contest. Erin Field (Sidney, Maine/Messalonskee) directed the ball past Pasternak from the center of the circle to get on the score sheet in the 47th minute. Ruhlin registered her second assist of the season on the play.

Immaculata finished with a 14-12 edge in shots. Dickert led the way with three shots for the Gophers, who now have a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series record between the two teams.

Goucher looks to keep things rolling next Wednesday night, when Hood will visit Beldon Field for a 7 p.m. tilt. The Gophers prevailed 3-1 when the two teams faced off last fall.