Juniata Clinches Playoff Berth with 2-1 Win Over Moravian

By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: JD Cavrich Photography

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata field hockey scored two goals early to secure its sixth Landmark Conference playoff berth in the past seven seasons.  The Eagles defeated Moravian College 2-1 Saturday afternoon to improve to 8-8 overall, 4-0 in the Landmark.  Juniata is one of two teams still unbeaten in Landmark play.

"We were definitely excited for the game today," said head coach Caroline Gillich.  "Not only because it was Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week, not only because it was senior day, but because this win was our opportunity to solidify a spot in the conference tournament.  So we are definitely excited to get this game this week so we could go from being 3-0 in the conference to 4-0."

Junior Kortney Showers (Aspers, Pa./Biglerville) opened scoring in the seventh minute.  The midfielder drove into the center of the circle and cranked the shot past Greyhound goalkeeper Andrea Eck. It was her second goal of the season, ninth of her career.

Juniata would build on its lead just 10 minutes later.  Sophomore Sarah Bilheimer (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) scrambled for the ball and found senior Morgan Slovin (Hockessin, Del./Charter School) deep in the circle.  Slovin slipped the ball in past Eck for her first goal of the season, giving Juniata the 2-0 lead with under 19 minutes left in the first half.

"It's so great on senior day when one of your seniors scores," said Gillich.  "I worked with [Morgan] a bit one-on-one and I was really excited to get to work with her this week and then to see it pay of not just for her, but for our team."

Slovin's knock turned out to be the game winner and was the first in her career.

The Eagles went into the break outshooting Moravian 9-5, earning five corners to the Greyhounds four.

Moravian's Catherine Duffin ended the shutout in the 38^th minute.  She fought through the defense on the right and sent the ball into the left side of the cage.

Bilheimer had a chance to extend the lead back to two.  With 14 minutes left on the clock, she broke away at the 50, carried it through a defender into the circle and backhand chipped it over the keeper.  But the ball took a bad hop to the right of the cage, giving the Greyhounds a long hit.

Junior Shelby Miller (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) earned the win.  She and fellow junior Julianne Jones (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) split time in goal and combined for six saves.

Senior Day
Juniata recognized its three seniors before the start of the contest.  The class of 2014 has amassed 25 goals, 45 wins, 69 points, made two postseason appearances, and have won a Landmark Conference Championship during the course of their career.  Their very different personalities have become instrumental in the success of Juniata hockey.

Liz Slimak (Elizabethtown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) has a .714 career on goal shooting percentage and is .800 on the year.  She did not play last season and is making up for the lost time in strides.  This year, she has tied a career-best with two goals, both of which were game winners, and is a perfect 1-for-1 from the stroke line. 

Slovin has also earned a career .714 on goal shooting percentage and last year set career-highs in points and shots.  She has appeared in all but two games over the last two years.

Emma Dahmus (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) has started 71 games over the course of her career and has appeared in every Juniata field hockey game since 2010 except one from earlier this season.  She has 16 assists, 17 goals, 50 points and over 4,800 minutes under her belt.  She has earned two all-conference honors and was named to the landmark All-Academic Team last year.  Team captain this season, she has moved into seventh all-time on the program's career assists list.

The Eagles remain home next week for their final home games of the regular season.  Juniata faces York College on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. and then hosts Catholic University on Saturday, Oct. 26 for its homecoming game.  The Catholic game will begin one our after the football game and has an anticipated start time of 4 p.m.

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