Nov. 3, 2007
Box Score
Stanford, Calif. - Trailing 2-0 in their final game of the 2007 season, the Pacific field hockey team closed out 2007 on a high note, rallying for a 3-2 win in the fifth place game at the NorPac Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 3.
With the win, Pacific finished the season at 7-11, while Longwood closed out their year at 6-16.
The game began with a battle in the midfield, Pacific junior Kedibone Leubane (Capetown, South Africa) picked up a loose ball and sped down the left side of the field for a one on one with Longwood senior goalkeeper Avanell Schmitz.
Schmitz came charging out and knocked away a shot by Leubane, but the junior picked up her rebound and shot it towards the open Lancer net. Senior defender Danielle Woodie knocked the shot away to keep the game 0-0, two minutes into the contest.
The Lancers quickly regrouped and went ahead 1-0 on a long corner just 4:52 into the contest. Junior Carla Binnewies carried the ball along the back line and put a cross in the circle that senior Katie Claxton knocked in, for her tenth goal of the year and the early 1-0 Longwood lead.
The team of Binnewies and Claxton struck again with 19:20 left in the half, on a Longwood penalty corner for the two goal advantage. After senior Mary Freeman inserted the ball, Binnewies slipped a pass to Claxton on the left side of the circle, where the senior ripped a shot in the far corner for her second goal of the game.
In the closing minutes of the first half, the Tigers began their comeback charge. Luebane set up the scored as she carried the ball along the baseline and gave a centering pass to freshman Rachel Taylor (Southampton, N.Y) who knocked in the pass for her fourth goal of the year to send the game to halftime at 2-1.
Coming out of halftime, the Tigers tallied two goals in a 3:25 span to go ahead 3-2 with 30:30 left to play.
Pacific's first goal came just 1:05 into the second stanza, as senior Melody Demel (Fallbrook, Calif.) picked up a loose ball in the Lancer circle and fired a shot through traffic that made its way in the back of the Longwood net for the 2-2 tie.
The Tigers came right back down the field a short time later and tallied the go ahead goal on a put back shot by junior Erica Nestle (San Jose, Calif.), giving the Tigers the lead for good. Nestle was standing on the right side of the Longwood circle and one timed a ball that bounced out on a Schmitz save for the 3-2 lead.
After a Longwood timeout, the Lancers were awarded back-to-back penalty corners but were unable to get anything past the Tigers' senior goalkeeper Valerie Niles (San Jose, Calif.). Longwood had one last chance to tie the score with seven minutes left as freshman Lauren Sullivan tipped a shot just wide of the Tigers' net.
Pacific out shot the Lancers 17-9 and held a 7-4 advantage in penalty corners. Schmitz recorded seven saves while Niles tallied two.
