Senior Goalie Goes Out on 20-Save Performance

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher needed every one of the 10 saves Demie Huffman (Granville, Ohio/Granville) made during regulation this afternoon on Beldon Field just to get to overtime against Susquehanna.

And all four saves she made in the first 15-minute extra session just to extend the game to a second overtime period.

And then the senior playing in the 56th and final game of her career at Goucher went out and denied the visitors an astounding six more times in the second OT.

The fact that the Crusaders solved her two times during the ensuing stroke-off to earn a 2-1 victory should in no way tarnish Huffman's outstanding career, which saw her amass 338 saves and register the third-lowest goals-against average (2.20) in the history of Goucher's field hockey program.

"This was the best game of her career," head coach Megan Williams said in reference to Huffman. "Everything she has worked on over the four years showed. She was absolutely phenomenal."

Susquehanna, which finished in a tie with Scranton for fourth place in the Landmark Conference, unleashed 14 shots in the first half, and the only one that got past Huffman was taken by Erin Bonafede. Huffman had just seconds earlier made a save against Bonafede, who was the first to get to the rebound as it rolled to the inner circle and was able to poke it by the goalie.

The Gophers (10-6, 2-5 Landmark) held the upper hand offensively in the second half and were able to even the score when Jackie Juarez (Glendora, Calif./Glendora) inserted the ball on a penalty corner to Lizzie Barminski (Ventura, Calif./Buena), who reached back and hit a rocket that the opposing keeper had no chance of stopping.

The goal, scored with 15:02 remaining in regulation, was the junior midfielder's team-leading 12th of the season.

Each team got off six shots in the first OT; one of the four saves Huffman made in the period was on a penalty stroke by Lauren Cram.

Huffman's save total reached 20 midway through the second extra session when she stopped a shot by Cayla Spatz. Susquehanna's Alyssa Rothman made two saves during the final six minutes of the second OT, raising her final total to 14.

The first five players in the shootout came up empty before Spatz was successful on her attempt. After another unsuccessful attempt by the home team, Taylor Franco clinched the win for the Crusaders (11-5, 4-3 Landmark) with a make.

Antonia DiLuca (Ardmore, Pa./Friends Central School) and Caroline Less (Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) were the other two seniors who, along with Huffman, were recognized in pre-game ceremonies.