Gophers Hang With No. 9 Cardinals after Early Deficit

WASHINGTON — Goucher entered tonight's contest with the unenviable task of trying to contain a Catholic squad coming off six consecutive victories, including a 3-1 win against a Salisbury squad which had been ranked No. 1 in the nation for Division III field hockey.

The Gophers struggled early against the No. 9 Cardinals, surrendering four goals in the opening 12:32 of the first half. Those would be the only goals of the match, however, as Goucher outshot Catholic by an 11-9 margin in the final 49 minutes of play and managed several quality scoring chances against their powerhouse opponents before ultimately being forced to settle for a 4-0 defeat.

The Gophers (7-5, 1-3 Landmark) fired nine shots on goal in the match. That total is the second-most allowed by the Cardinals (11-1, 3-0 Landmark) this season. Only Mary Washington, which directed 12 shots on goal in Catholic's only defeat of the season, registered more in a match. Lizzie Barminski (Ventura, Calif./Buena) led Goucher with five shots, four of which were on target, and she also had her first defensive save of 2014.

Colleen Harwood had two goals for Catholic, including the opening strike at 4:50. Harwood would have recorded a hat trick if not for a defensive save from Emily Gill (White Hall, Md./North Harford) in the eighth minute of the match. Kim Hermann and Katie Bertrand had the other goals for the Cardinals.

Catholic had a 9-0 edge in shots after the first 21 minutes before the Gophers began to assert themselves. Caroline Less (Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) fired a shot in the 33rd minute which got past goalkeeper Analisa Scott, but it was stopped on the line by defender Tarah Portlant.

Goucher forced two more defensive saves out of the Cardinals in the second half. Both attempts came off the stick of Barminski, but Catholic's Michelle Sabatini preserved the shutout with stops in the 53rd and 59th minute.

The Gophers had six other shots in the final 18 minutes, but could not get anything past reserve goalie Sophia Hamilton.

Goucher, which now sits in sixth place in the conference standings, will look to get back on track this Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup at Drew (1-10, 0-3 Landmark).