SCRANTON, PA -- The top-seeded University of Scranton Field Hockey team defeated the back-to-back defending champion Susquehanna River Hawks, 3-0, en route to its first Landmark Conference Title since 2021 on Saturday afternoon at Weiss Field in Scranton.

The Basics 

• Final Score: Scranton 3, Susquehanna 0
• Records: Scranton (17-3, 9-0 Landmark), Susquehanna (13-8, 8-1 Landmark)
• This marks the third Landmark Championship victory program history, all under the guidance of head coach Colleen Moyer and assistant coach Michelle Merkel.

How it Happened  

• Susquehanna brought pressure against senior goalkeeper MacLean Thuermer right out of the gate, taking a shot on goal just 1:09 into the game, but Thuermer kicked it away to record the save and keep the River Hawks off the board.
• That early attempt by Susquehanna's Lauren Leibensperger was the last shot until sophomore Shana Goldsmith fired one that was saved by Kylie Schmidt with 2:27 left in the second quarter, keeping the game scoreless.
• The Royals broke the ice 5:58 into the third quarter when junior Maggie Keys stole possession away and made a perfect pass to senior Annie Shaw, who fired a shot in the back of the cage to give Scranton a 1-0 advantage.
• Less than one minute later, the Royals scored again to extend the lead to 2-0. After Goldsmith intercepted a pass from Mackenzie Lopez, she carried the ball into the circle, drew Schmidt out of the goal, and connected with Shaw, who came through again and buried the shot for her second goal of the game.
• Scranton added its third goal of the day with 4:08 remaining in the contest. Senior Emily Gallagher fired a shot toward the circle that was redirected by freshman Olivia Burdo right to Goldsmith, who evaded a defender in the circle and flicked a shot past the keeper into the back of the cage to make it 3-0 Royals.

Top Performers  

• Annie Shaw - 2 goals; Has scored twice in each of the last two Landmark Championship games
• Shana Goldsmith - 1 goal, 1 assist
• Maggie Keys - 1 assist

Inside the Box Score  

• Scranton held an 10-1 advantage in shots and a 7-1 edge in shots on goal.  
• The Royals had four corner attempts and Susquehanna had two.  

Up Next  

• The NCAA Tournament field will be unveiled in a live selection show on NCAA.com on Sunday evening at 9:00 PM. 

Read Full Article