Unionville field hockey falls to Henderson, 1-0
09/11/2017 01:21PM ● By Steven HoffmanThe Unionville field hockey team controlled the flow of large portions of the Sept. 7 game against West Chester Henderson, but they were unable to score a goal, ultimately falling to the visiting team, 1-0.
Each team had a scoring opportunity early in the game, but soon Unionville was putting pressure on Henderson’s defense as Katie Anderson and Annie McDonough, two of Unionville’s mid-fielders, helped the Indians stay on the offensive for long stretches. Morgan Lyons, a forward for the Indians, nearly put her team on the board, but her shot was just wide, one of several instances where Unionville seemed to be on the verge of scoring.
Most of the action in the first half took place with Unionville on the offensive, but when Henderson did move the ball up the field, the Indians’ defense did a good job in front of goal keeper Lizzie Gaebel. At the 4:50 mark of the first half, Gaebel made a nice save that kept the game scoreless.
But then, with 3:30 left to play in the first half, Henderson’s Isabel Harkins scored what would turn out to be the only goal of the game. Just like that, the entire game changed as momentum swung toward Henderson.
Unionville still had some scoring opportunities during the second half—Anderson and Madison Miles each had shots on goal in quick succession at about the midway point of the second half, but Henderson's defense was up to the task. McDonough attempted a long goal with about 13 minutes to play, but the ball hit the cage. Emily Franco, Henderson’s goal keeper, tallied 15 saves during the contest.
Unionville’s last charge came with about two minutes to play, but Henderson was equal to the challenge and kept the Indians off the scoreboard.
Unionville has games coming up against Sun Valley on Sept. 14 and Villa Maria on Sept. 15, while Henderson takes on Avon Grove on Sept. 14 and Harriton on Sept. 15.