BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College field hockey team posted its third shutout of the season and second at home, defeating Neumann University, 3-0, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Wednesday afternoon.
The Greyhounds, 5-6 overall, received goals from junior midfielder Rebecca Hamel in the first half and sophomore midfielder/forward Christina Duddy and senior midfielder Catherine Duffin in the second half as Moravian snapped a three-match losing streak.
"It feels great to get back into the win column and having a shutout was a bonus," stated Head Coach Amy Endler. "It felt good for our team to get that feeling back especially going into a big conference game this weekend. It was good for our moral and confidence."
Moravian nearly scored in the first two minutes of the match with Duffin and senior forward Cayley Wise putting early shots on goal. The Hounds would eventually get on the scoreboard in the 24th minute when Hamel finished off a penalty corner with her first goal of the season. Sophomore forward Kyla Rodrigues inserted the ball on the corner to the top of the circle to junior forward Kelly O'Donnell. O'Donnell would send a pass in that Duddy pushed from the left side to the right post area where Hamel knocked in the goal.
"I think all of the offensive players stood out for us," commented Endler. "I think Duffin did a nice job of getting the ball up the field and creating opportunities for her teammates. I think the rest of the forwards were in the right spots at the right times to get the shots on goal."
Neumann had a chance to tie the contest in the 30th minute when Kenya Woods broke in on Moravian sophomore keeper Megan Kanyuk. Kanyuk came out to challenge Woods at the top of the circle and the shot ended up being wide to the right. Senior defender Meghan Pak came in behind Kanyuk on the play to make sure the shot stayed wide.
"Megan Pak did a great job today, especially on that play to make sure the ball didn't get into the net and tie the game on the breakaway," Endler said. "I think the midfield played great as well, and I don't think they got as many chances as they probably would have liked because we kept them out of our defensive end.
The Greyhounds would flip the field after the ensuing penalty corner and keep the pressure on with two more shots on goal late in the first half by junior forward Tiffany Gumina and Duffin.
The Knights would get the first shot on goal in the second half with Kanyuk making one of her two saves in the shutout.
Moravian extended its lead to 2-0 in the 57th minute when Duddy took a crossing pass from Rodrigues and put the shot inside the right post for her third goal of the season. Rodrigues set up the goal by dribbling down the left sideline and then cutting up the end line and into the circle before crossing the ball.
The Hounds would need just four minutes to add an insurance goal as Duffin netted her team-leading sixth goal of the season. Rodrigues started the play by inserting the ball on the Greyhounds' 11th penalty corner of the afternoon on the right side to O'Donnell, who passed the ball over to Duffin for a shot that beat the goalie to the short side just inside the left post.
Moravian had a 15-5 advantage in shots and an 11-5 edge in penalty corners as the squad improves to 7-5 in games on the turf at Rocco Calvo Field over the past three seasons.
The Greyhounds will return to action on Saturday, October 11 when the squad welcomes Juniata College to Rocco Calvo Field for a Landmark Conference match starting at 1:00 p.m.
