Gophers Rout Blue Jays to Begin Landmark Play

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher's offense has been rolling along as of late, and the start of Landmark Conference play this afternoon did nothing to slow down that momentum, with the Gophers setting a new season high for goals in a 19-3 rout of Elizabethtown.

Anneke Ossorio (Lafayette, Colo./Kent Denver School) and Rita Meissner (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) each netted a career-high five goals to lead the Gophers (6-4, 1-0 Landmark) to their first conference win since 2011 at the expense of the Blue Jays (0-6, 0-2), who are playing their inaugural season in the Landmark. Goucher has now won four of five games overall, scoring at least 14 goals in each of those victories.

The Gophers held just a 3-2 advantage after Elizabethtown's Dana Robidoux scored with 15:44 left in the first half. Ossorio answered just 43 seconds later, however, and Goucher outscored its conference newcomers 16-1 for the rest of the way.

The lead was 11-3 at halftime, and the Gophers added eight more tallies after the break, scoring their most goals in a game since a 21-6 victory over Gwynedd-Mercy on April 24, 2012.

Erin Reifsnyder (Austin, Texas/St. Andrew's Episcopal) chipped in three goals, three assists, eight ground balls and five draw controls, while Hannah Mae Brown (Pinedale, Wyo./Dunn School) added three goals, one assist and seven draw controls. The tandem is now 1-2 in the conference in points, with Reifsnyder leading the way at 45 points (including a conference-high 29 goals) followed by Brown at 37.

Megan Meluskey (Wilmington, Del./Concord) contributed two goals and two assists, and Dani McCreary (Upper Marlboro, Md./Bishop McNamara) rounded out the scoring by firing in Goucher's 19th and final goal with two minutes remaining. Stefi Perry (Houston, Texas/Klein), meanwhile, caused a team-best four turnovers on defense and Emily Gill (White Hall, Md./North Harford) made seven saves in goal.

The Gophers have seen a noticeable increase in their assist total recently, and that trend continued against the Blue Jays. Ten of Goucher's goals today were assisted, and the Gophers now have 47 helpers in their last five victories after totaling just 18 during the entire 2013 season.

Goucher improved to 5-1 at Beldon Field this season under first-year head coach Ceri Miller. Its last conference win had been a 25-17 triumph over Susquehanna on April 23, 2011. The Gophers will look for a third consecutive victory in their current campaign on Wednesday, when they travel to Marymount for a 4 p.m. contest.