The Misericordia University women's field hockey team controlled the first half of play and got a big second half goal from Hannah Harvey to snap their losing skid and defeat the DeSales Bulldogs, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Mangelsdorf Field.
 
Terra Hall also scored for the Cougars while Emily Hegner and Allison Alexander each added assists as MU earned its first Freedom Conference win of the season.
 
“This was a long time coming,” said Cougar goalkeeper Haley Brandt. “It was a conference game, so we knew we had to come out strong. It just feels so good to finally get a win and end the losing streak.”
 
The Cougars controlled possession throughout the first half, outshooting DeSales 8-3 and holding a 4-2 advantage on penalty corners. Freshman Lindsay Hischak led the squad with three first-half shots and consistently got past the Bulldog defense to keep the pressure high.
 
“As a freshman I didn't think I was going to play much at all,” said Hischak. “It feels great to be able to help the team and have confidence in my ability, and it feels especially great to win today.”
 
It was a penalty corner opportunity that gave the Cougars their first goal, as Emily Hegner entered a ball to Terra Hall, who controlled the ball and blasted a shot past Bulldog goalkeeper Victoria DelToro to score her team-leading seventh goal of the season.
 
“It's always a goal of ours to get it into the circle and earn the corner,” said MU assistant coach Kelly Becker. “It's seven-on-four, so it's a great opportunity to capitalize. It was great that we were able to take advantage of that today.”
 
The Cougars maintained their 1-0 lead into halftime, but coming out of the break the Bulldogs made a strong offensive surge. A diving save by Brandt in the 41^st minute preserved the lead temporarily, but DeSales continued to control possession and eventually netted the equalizer in the 47^th minute on Alison Malatesta's team-best ninth goal of the year.
 
The Cougars eventually regained their momentum, and in the 61^st minute Allison Alexander found Hannah Harvey for her fifth goal of the season.
 
“Something we've struggled with this season has been our ability to finish,” said MU head coach Robyn Fedor Stahovic. “You could tell that on our second goal we were going to do whatever it took to earn the win, and Hannah did a great job of making sure the ball crossed that line.”
 
Just after the Cougars took the lead, the DeSales made one final push, ripping a shot that required another Brandt diving save to preserve the win.
 
““They came out strong and they really wanted to put the ball in the cage,” said Brandt. My defense and I had to stay strong in there and protect our goal, and we made sure that they didn't get another one.”
 
Stahovic gave praise to her goalkeeping core for their efforts throughout the season.
 
“The piece to our puzzle this season has been our goalkeepers,” said Stahovic. “ They have brought great effort and heart to the table every game and every practice throughout this season, and it has been them who has given us a chance in some of the games that we've lost. It was great to see Haley get the win today.”
 
Stahovic noted that her team has maintained a positive attitude despite their on the field struggles.
 
“One thing we have to commend them on is that they don't give up,” Stahovic said. “This would be the perfect situation to hang their heads and give up on themselves and their teammates, but they've not done that. They're still working hard and showing the desire to get better. I think that says a lot about their character, their desire, and their love for the sport.”
 
The Cougars will face another tough test on Friday, when they travel to local rival King's for another important Freedom Conference contest.
 
“I think that this win will help us have a better chance to win in the rest of our games this year,” said Hischak. “It definitely gave us a lot of confidence, and we will look to build on that and come out strong on Friday.”