DEFENSE RULES

Mawrtians and Grizzlies play to 0-0 overtime tie in A-Conference field hockey battle

Defense ruled in yesterday�??s IAAM A-Conference field hockey match, as Garrison Forest and host Bryn Mawr battled to a 0-0 overtime tie.  Neither of the teams, both ranked in the Top Ten, could convert despite several chances to do so.  Both Emily Cain and Abby Bisbee had outstanding games in goal, as did the defenders in front of them.

Garrison won both regular season meetings last year, but Bryn Mawr won the one that counted most, prevailing by a 2-1 score in the 2006 �??A�?� championship match.  Although some other A-Conference teams may have a say in the matter, these two could likely meet again in November  to decide the 2007 champ.

Both teams lost a lot on the defensive end to graduation, as Bryn Mawr lost nine seniors and Garrison Forest eight, many of those defenders.  But both BMS Coach Jeanette Budzik and  GFS Coach Traci Davis have done a great job at revamping, with little drop-off in results on the defensive end.


Sarah Cole of Bryn Mawr looks for scoring opportunity (Photo by John Strohsacker/CharmCityPhotos.com)

Bryn Mawr is now 9-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the IAAM.  It has outscored all opponents by 17-2, and league foes by 12-1. The Mawrtian defense is the stingiest in the league.  They have put up eight shutouts in 10 games, allowing a paltry two goals.  Only Archbishop Spalding and South Carroll (non-conference) have scored on the Bryn Mawr defense thus far.

With juniors Hilly Wilson and Jenny Noon and sophomore Bailey Johnson on the defense, and senior Peyton Hawkins, junior Annie Thomas (back from an injury) and sophomore Creaghan Peters handling the midfield defensive chores, Bisbee was able to scan the horizon for the few open scoring opportunities that arose, and handle the ones that did.

Bisbee, a junior, anchors the defense for BMS, and has 75 saves in the 10 outings, including 55 in the seven IAAM games.  She had an even dozen saves versus the Grizzlies, several worthy of replay.

Garrison Forest (7-1-1, 5-1-1) has also put up an impressive defense.  Cain, a sophomore, had six saves yesterday.  It was her sixth shutout of the season; in seven league contests, she has allowed just four goals, one each to Severn and  Roland Park Country, both 2-1 wins, and a pair to Archbishop Spalding in a 2-1 loss.  She has 45 saves to date (not including one game without stats).  Sometimes her defenders are so stronng that she gets few save opportunities.

The sophomore trio of Ana Henrich, Bayley Mullan and Megan Mullan got the job done for the Grizzly defense in front of Cain, along with strong work in the midfield from junior Christine Knauss, sophomore Liza Blue and others, keeping the Mawrtian offense in check, especially the speedy Sarah Cole.

These two front-runners will meet again on October 23rd in the final regular season match, with the play-offs in the following week.  Could they meet a third time on championship Sunday on November?

No. 10 Spalding joins BMS and GFS as the only three teams in the �??A�?� that currently have a winning record through the first half of league play.  The Cavaliers, or others, could scramble the picture by season�??s end.

But those teams will have to find a way to score on either Bryn Mawr or Garrison Forest.  And that�??s been awfully hard to do thus far in 2007.

Bryn Mawr 0, Garrison Forest  0, OT
Saves: GF-Cain 6; BM-Bisbee 12.
Half: 0-0.

--Mike Buchanan