Field hockey, 10/21/09: D. Freeman 4, D. Run 1

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

Douglas Freeman scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to pull away from Deep Run in field hockey Wednesday.

To start the second half, the Rebels, ranked fifth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, thwarted a few nice opportunities for No. 8 Deep Run and locked the ball in their half offensively.

But the Wildcat defense was up to the task, thwarting penalty corner after penalty corner, six straight to be exact. Ashley Cureton's speed hindered every attack.

Freeman coach Tara Hundley called timeout after the fifth corner failed.

"I just told them they need to crash the goal and be persistent," Hundley said.

The seventh time was the charm as Aidan Ziegler, after she passed it in, knocked in a rebound for a 2-1 lead.

It opened the flood gates for the Rebels, along with Deep Run being a man down because of an illegal use of the stick penalty.

Julia Wingfield found the goal five minutes later on a slow dribbler from the top of the circle that skirted through several players.

Then at the 2:44-mark, Carter Barnett completed the scoring, putting in her second of the contest.

"It was really exciting because we had been so close and it was tied 1-1," Ziegler said. "We just kept hitting it back at the goalie and finally I was able to eek one in there. It was really exciting and it gave us the momentum we need to pull out a 4-1 win."

Game note: Get healthy!
Deep Run played without leading scorer Audrey Hester and starting keeper Rebecca Oliver, who were both sick.

Freeman's whole team is also battling the flu, and was down three players after having only 12 available in a win Monday. After Hundley's second-half timeout, Freeman's whole bench was coughing uncontrollably.

Both teams need to be at full strength with the Colonial District tournament next week.

Deep Run           1 0 - 1
Douglas Freeman 1 3 - 4
DR: A. Schmidt
DF: Barnett 2, Winfield, Ziegler
Saves: Kelley (DR) 10; Tignor (DF) 4
Records: Deep Run (10-6); Douglas Freeman (13-3)