Box Score
Photo gallery (by Dan Ceccacci)
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Senior Alyssa Whitman (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) posted a hat trick in the first half, as the University of Scranton field hockey team locked up a bid in the upcoming Landmark Conference Tournament with a dominating 9-2 victory over Moravian on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Royals improved to 13-2 overall and 4-2 in the Landmark, while Moravian fell to 4-12 and 0-6 in the Landmark with the defeat.
In the first period, Scranton put away the host Greyhounds with a scoring barrage to open the match, scoring four consecutive goals in the first 15 minutes of action to go up 4-0 early.
Whitman was responsible for three of those goals, scoring them in succession to give Scranton the four-score lead. With her three goals, Whitman has now scored 12 goals on the season to lead the team.
The first goal of the match was scored by fellow senior Krista Osborne (Blue Bell, Pa,/Gwynedd-Mercy Academy), who added two more goals in the second half to also notch a hat trick on the afternoon. With her day, Osborne pushed her season goal total to 10 on the year.
Up 4-2 entering the second half, Osborne opened the scoring in the half to go up 5-2, then junior Jessica Pankey (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes) scored minutes later to put Scranton up 6-2. Pankey also scored later in the match to put the Royals up 8-2, which was her eighth score of the 2015 season.
The final Royal to score a goal in the match was junior Ana Bisciello (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park Memorial), who put Scranton up 7-2 with her second goal of the season in the 63rd minute.
In all, three of Scranton's goals came on penalty strokes, two others were unassisted, and four were assisted. Osborne was credited with two of the assists, while freshman Katherine McVeagh (Flourtown, Pa./Springfield Township) and senior Lara Haab (Gladwyne, Pa./Country Day School Sacred Heart) notched the other assists.
The offensive outburst by Scranton was a best for the season, and is the highest output for the Royals on the offensive end in a Landmark Conference match since Scranton joined the conference prior to the 2007 season.
The University of Scranton field hockey team returns to action on Wednesday, as they travel to Vassar for an out-of-conference tilt. Things get underway at 7 p.m.
--ROYALS--
