By Pat Mariboe
Senior Sports Writer
After a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Centennial Conference opponent Gettysburg, the Shorewomen looked to bounce back when Bryn Mawr and Lynchburg paid a visit to Chestertown. In the loss against the Bullets, it looked like WC won the game in OT when sophomore Olivia Auer slotted one home two minutes into extra time. The play was called back as it was determined that Gettysburg’s goalie lost her helmet, thus nullifying the goal. The Shorewomen, who have yet to win a CC game this season, planned to get some revenge in their next matchup against Bryn Mawr.
WC was firing on all cylinders early in the contest as senior Elizabeth Davis scored from the center of the circle off an assist from sophomore Emily Pantazes. Auer rightfully got her goal this time around, as she tallied a goal for the Shorewomen only 8 minutes later. Auer didn’t stop there, as she collected a loose ball in the center and added another goal with 14 minutes remaining in the first half. It was a tale of similar scorers for the Shorewomen, as Davis rocketed home her second goal of the half off a penalty corner.
Things began to settle down in the second half with the Shorewomen maintaining almost all of the possession. There were some tired legs on the field for Bryn Mawr, as the Owls didn’t have a single substitute available on the benc. It didn’t take senior Alli Dudley long to make her mark, when she deflected the ball in off a pass from senior Allison Remenapp. Dudley scored a second goal nearly a minute later off an assist from Auer. The Shorewomen won the game 6-0 in comfortable fashion. Bryn Mawr didn’t manage a single shot or penalty corner in the contest, as the Shorewomen recorded 24 shots and 16 penalty corners.
In their second game of the week, Washington College challenged Lynchburg in a non-conference matchup. The rainy weather sent the Goose Nation faithful to the skybox to watch the game high and dry. The game also took place on the same day as the Hall of Fame Induction, so there were many Shoremen and Shorewomen both young and old sharing stories and enjoying food set up by a few parents from the field hockey team. As the rain continued to trickle down and the fans began to find their seats, the game immediately got off with a bang, as Remenapp started the scoring early nearly three minutes in with a pass by sophomore Maggie Cancelmo. Both teams fought back and forth, but the first half ended with the Shorewomen leading 1-0.
Davis continued the scoring in the second half when she fired one in off a penalty corner from freshman Sophie Grabiec. The Shorewomen began to pile on the pressure when only a few minutes later Dudley tallied on another goal after a blocked shot by senior Jen Tordella landed at Dudley’s feet. She spun past a defender and rifled it home from a few yards out. The Bullets scored off a penalty stroke with less than 7 minutes remaining, but the Shorewomen stayed strong and held onto the 3-1 victory.
“I felt as though we are really starting to gel together and it’s really nice,” said Tordella. “We can feel it, our coach can feel it, and overall there is just a sense of connection that couldn’t be happening at a better time. We’re really excited about the opportunities that lay ahead of us and as a group are really pleased with how we all played tonight. It was a collective effort and everyone contributed something special with that game. That was a big win for us.”
As the final whistle blew, all the Shorewomen ran over to congratulate sophomore goalie Morgan Domanico, who made six miraculous saves on the day. Many of Lynchburg’s foiled chances would have been sure goals if it wasn’t for Domanico’s heroics.
“She’s a beast,” said Tordella. “We are so lucky to have her as our goalie and yesterday she really showed her passion for the game. Morgan works really hard, so her effort and the outcome from it was no surprise for us. She’s incredible and she is such a leader on the field. She’s a great backbone for us and yesterday she really took over in the corner play. We’re really proud.”
The Shorewomen look to continue their two game win streak as they face off against CC opponents Swarthmore and Muhlenberg in the upcoming week.