Box Score Springfield, Mo. – The Pacific Tigers field hockey team stretched their winning streak to seven games with their 5-1 win over Missouri State. In their three games in Missouri this weekend, the Tigers scored 28 goals and are now the highest-scoring team in D-I by goals per game. Pacific is 7-3 on the year with two more non-conference games left on the schedule this week. Missouri State drops to 1-6.
The Tigers needed just three goals today to become the highest-scoring Pacific team ever and came away with plenty more than that. Their 58 goals on the season passes 2006's 55 for the most ever scored by the Tigers with eight more games still left on this year's schedule.
Pacific scored in the first minute of the game to put the pressure on early. Savannah Burns helped the Tigers earn a corner with her initial shot, then fired it home off the penalty corner for her eighth goal of the season. The assists went to Emma Leach and Ash Rutherford. Rutherford's assist added to her Pacific-record assist total this year, making it nine.
Burns goal gave her a six-game point streak, with multiple points in every one of those games. She has 23 points in her last six games after recording zero in her first four. The junior sent another shot off the post on Pacific's next corner, narrowly missing a goal at 7:29.
Pacific's offense took advantage of a partial breakaway at 18:55, scoring again to make it 2-0. Marguerite van Wyk carried the ball into the circle and fed a pass across to Axelle Steffen, who was waiting with an open net in front of her. Steffen's goal was her third this year.
Shots were 8-5 Pacific after the first, with all five of Missouri State's shots coming in a two-minute sequence that saw the Pacific defense block three shots and Pujade make back-to-back saves to keep the shutout intact.
The Tigers scored even quicker in the second half than the first with Hannah Tvergyak scoring just 43 seconds after halftime. Burns fed the ball deep into the circle to Tvergyak on the right. The Coquitlam native beat the goalie with her shot for her second goal of the season.
Missouri State's Liz Young scored off a corner at 55:50 to kill Pacific's chance at a shutout. The goal came off a corner, with the assists going to Brynne Satre and Andrea Soler Codina.
The Tigers responded to the goal with a relentless attack. Alicia Muiños hit the post, Pacific's second shot off the cage today, then Muiños' and van Wyk's shots both went wide of the goal as Pacific picked up their 20th and 21st shots of the game.
63 minutes into the game, the Tigers were given a yellow card, putting them a player down for five minutes. That advantage did little for Missouri State as van Wyk scored ten seconds into it to make it 4-1.
The goal by van Wyk gave her 12 this year, the fourth-most in a single season by a Tiger. Only Vianney and Ali Campos have ever scored more in a single season. Van Wyk is also now fifth in the nation in goals scored.
Still a player down, the Tigers extended their lead to 5-1 on a Rylee Comeau goal. Burns' shot was saved away but van Wyk found it and fed Comeau, who scored. Comeau has now scored at least one goal in each of the last five games and has eight on the year, tied for second on the team. That put an end to any Missouri State threat as well as the Tigers cruised along to victory.
It's two more road games on tap for Pacific this week. The Tigers, who are 6-1 away from Stockton, will play Appalachian State Saturday at 9:00 am. Following that, they will take on Davidson on Sunday at 11:00 am. Both of those games will be in Davidson, North Carolina.
Make sure to follow Pacific field hockey on Twitter with the username @PacificTigersFH and on Instagram at pacifictigersfh.
