Box Score

SCRANTON, PA (October 29, 2008) -- Sophomore Jessica Lance (Enfield, CT/Enfield) tallied her second game-winning goal of the year, converting a penalty stroke shot in the 24th minute of the first half, leading the Vassar field hockey team to a season-ending 1-0 victory over Scranton Wednesday evening.

On a cold and blustery evening, the Brewers earned the season ending victory, their second in the final three games, on the strength of Lance's penalty shot and a six-save shutout performance by senior goalie Taylor Herman (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central), her second of the season. The Brewers earned their fifth victory, one more than last season, to finish 5-12, 1-6. Scranton drops to 9-9.

In an evenly played game with each team having six shots on goal, the penalty shot goal by Lance was the clear difference. The Brewers had nine attempts on goal, three coming from junior Jordan Friedmann (Chicago, IL/Francis. W. Parker). Lance had two shots on goal, giving her 41 on the season.

The Royals failed to convert any of their 13 penalty corner opportunities, including 10 in the second-half.

Scranton came out aggressively in the opening five minutes, sending four shots towards the cage that were turned away by Herman. Midway through the first-half, Herman got caught out of position coming out of the cage on a ball served up by Royal senior forward Meg Mathewson (Dallas, PA/Bishop O'Reilly), but Brewer senior back Jessie Shields (Andover, MA/Andover) made a defensive save to end the scoring threat.

The Royals, likewise, came up with a defensive save to end a Vassar scoring opportunity moments later. On a cross from the right sideline that got by Scranton sophomore goalie Deirdre Rocklein (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip), Brewers freshman forward Maura McCarthy (Blue Bell, PA/Germantown Academy) blasted a shot towards an open cage that was knocked away at the last moment by Royal sophomore back Beth McLaughlin (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South). Rocklein finished with five saves.

Early in the second-half, Rocklein knocked three straight shot attempts by Friedmann on a penalty corner to thwart another scoring opportunity.