Otis' OT Tally Lifts Field Hockey Over American International, 3-2
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.- The Merrimack field
hockey team clinched its first home win of the 2010 season Saturday
afternoon with a 3-2 overtime win against American International.
Jen
Otis (Penacook, N.H.) notched the game-winner 74
minutes after the opening whistle. The Warriors improve their
record to 2-4 overall while the Yellow Jackets fall to 2-2.
Merrimack struck first as Jamie Spano (Reading,
Mass.) scored her first goal of the season. Spano buried a
shot from the right side of the arc, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead
which they held onto heading into halftime.
American International tied the score at 1-1 just five minutes
into the second half as Mackenzie Kewley put the ball in the
cage.
Merrimack reclaimed the lead as Sarah Dunbar
(Hubbardston, Mass.) tipped in a shot from Victoria
DeLacey (Charlton, Mass.). DeLacey ripped a shot from
the top of the arc as Dunbar set up at the near post to deflect the
ball in to put the Warriors ahead, 2-1.
Kewley knotted the score at two goals aside as she redirected a
shot from Linsey Fernandes, for her second goal of the contest for
the visitors.
Merrimack had its opportunities in the closing minutes of
regulation but Yellow Jackets' goalkeeper, Kim Steiner, kept the
game at a stalemate.
Four minutes into bonus field hockey, Spano fed the ball to Otis
making a run behind the American International defense. Otis
dribbled around the Yellow Jacket netminder and potted the game
winner into the empty net.
The Warriors held the advantage in shots, 16-10. American
International owned the edge in penalty corners, 10-6, in the
game.
Kerri Bergquist
(Mashpee, Mass.) earned her second win of the 2010
campaign with a one-save performance for Merrimack. Steiner turned
aside seven shots in the game for the Yellow Jackets.
"Its good to see the girls playing together and playing for each
other. We'll need to carry that same style of play all year long,"
said head coach Anne Rounce.
Jamie Spano and Jen Otis talk about Otis' game-winning
goal in overtime.
