Conestoga edges Episcopal Academy in match
By Bill – Year in and year out, Conestoga and Episcopal Academy produce some of the top field hockey teams not just in the area, but on a national level. So when the two programs square off, you can be sure it's going to be a good one.
Saturday afternoon at Teamer Field, the Pioneers hosted Episcopal, with the talent on both squads on full display. It was a tightly played contest right up to the final whistle. Conestoga broke a deadlock with 12:38 to go ahead, then played tenacious defense the rest of the way for a 3-2 nonleague victory.
"There's nothing better than to get into this kind of competition this time of year," said Conestoga coach Regan Marscher. "EA is always so strong and disciplined. We knew this would be a big game. I'm so proud of the way this team played today, making great connections and playing with such selflessness."
Tied 2-2 entering the final period, Conestoga (13-2) grabbed the lead on a goal that was so smooth it looked like they were simply running a play in practice. Peyton Esposito brought the ball inside the circle, drawing out goalie Payton Smith in the process, then slipped a quick pass over to Alivia Dascanio, who deposited it in the empty cage."Yeah, it's one we practice a lot," said Dascanio. "I just have to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be, and make sure I put it in when I get it. It's always fun to play in competitive games like this. This was a good win."Once Esposito saw Dascanio was in place, she knew what she had to do."We were just connecting, our connections were great all day," said Esposito. "I got the ball down there, and when I brought my eyes up and saw Alivia there, I knew there was no option of keeping it myself. There's some pressure in these kinds of games, but this team is all so supportive of one another, win or lose we know we're in it together."Esposito started the scoring with a goal two minutes into the game, and struck again later in the first half, with an assist from Shae Wozniak."Peyton showed some of that selflessness on that last goal," said Marscher. "And Alivia was in the right place at the right time, which seems to be happening a lot for her this year."Episcopal's goals both came in the first half. The first was from Rebecca Clock, with an assist from Caroline Powell, to tie the game at 1-1. Then Syd Powell scored unassisted to make it 2-2 at halftime."We played really well, especially through the first half," said Episcopal coach Paul Zelenak. "We did a nice job attacking inside the circle all day. "We always know this is going to be a tough competitive game, and this kind of competition helps set us up for success in November."
Conestoga 3, Episcopal Academy 2Episcopal Academy 1 1 0 0 – 2Conestoga 1 1 0 1 — 3Episcopal Academy goals: Block, Powell.Conestoga goals: Esposito 2, Dascanio.Goalie Saves: Smith (EA) 7; Wright (C) 4.
