HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 25, 2009) – For the fourth time in five games, the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team won by shutout as 18th-ranked Ducks defeated the University of Scranton, 1-0 on Friday night in front of a big crowd at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J. Senior captain Kara Borzillo notched the game-winner after a nice pass from sophomore Meghan Broderick and junior Ellyn Griggs earned the win in goal. The victory is the fifth in a row for the Ducks (7-1 overall, 1-0 Empire 8).
Stevens outplayed the Royals (4-3) for most of the contest, controlling the ball for more than 70 percent of the game and holding the Royals to a total of two quality scoring chances.
The first came with 10 minutes to go in the first half when freshman Gretchen Kempf (Warrington, Pa.) made several moves, got close to the cage and crossed but the shot went wide. The second came in the middle of the second half, but senior Elizabeth Carugan (South Salem, N.Y.) could not get her stick on a beautiful pass from Kempf.
The Ducks were able to generate a bunch of strong scoring chances. The best came when they were able to take four penalty corners over a stretch of two minutes. Several shots were generated by sophomores Mallory Swanson and Jillian Price but none found the back of the net.
The Ducks were able to break through for what would prove to be the game-winner with 53 seconds left in the first half. The play started on a penalty corner when senior Erin Broderick hit out to the top of the circle. The ball was passed in front and a scrum ensued. After several shot attempts, Meghan Broderick was able to create some space, pass left to Borzillo who ripped a shot past Scranton goalkeeper Deirdre Rocklein (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) into the lower right corner. It was her third game-winning goal of the season.
The teams went into the break with the Ducks holding a solid 8-2 edge in shots and a 6-0 advantage in penalty corners.
In the second half, Scranton was able to get three early penalty corners but could not get a shot off as the Ducks' defense was extremely tight. After not scoring on any of the three corners, Scranton was not able to generate much of anything in front of the Stevens goal the rest of the way.
The Ducks had several chances to take a 2-0 lead but were unable to cash in. With a little more than 13 minutes remaining, junior Lauren Griggs ripped a shot inches wide after several nice moves with the ball and freshman Marguerite Chavez did the same several minutes later.
Stevens ended the contest with a 12-3 edge in shots and a 9-3 advantage in corners. Griggs earned her seventh win and her fourth shutout. She made one save. Rocklein took the loss in net but was solid. The senior was credited with five stops on the evening.
Stevens will return to action on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. with a home game against nationally-ranked Rowan University. The game will be webcast live at www.Empire8.tv and will also serve as the team's Duck Country event.
