UMBC

Amanda Yanulevich scored the game-winner in sudden death penalty strokes for the Retrievers' first victory of the season.

Rebekah Krolus notched the first multi-goal game of her career with two goals in the thrilling win, including UMBC's first of the game.

Loretto, Pa.-The UMBC field hockey team (1-6) earned its first win of the season Wednesday afternoon, defeating St. Francis (0-6), 6-5, in sudden death penalty strokes.

The teams combined for seven goals in the second period to force overtime with a 5-5 score, but neither team could capitalize on several chances in the two extra periods, forcing a five-stroke penalty shot contest.

Both teams scored once after five tries, forcing sudden death. Freshman attack Amanda Yanulevich (Woodbine, Md./Glenelg), who was the only Retriever to beat Red Flash goalie Kristen Onto in the first five strokes, got the ball past Onto again, and St. Francis couldn’t match, giving UMBC the victory.

The Retrievers tallied first, as junior attack Rebekah Krolus (Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored the first goal of her career at 17:40 on an assist from junior midfielder Julie Moore (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun). But St. Francis tied it up just more than two minutes later, as Erin Davis scored the first of her school-record three goals on a breakaway at 19:44.

The Red Flash took a 2-1 lead into halftime, as Leigh-Ann Conroy put the ball in the cage at the 27:28 mark. But Krolus tied the game at 2-2 at less than four and a half minutes into the second frame, converting a pass from freshman defender Emily Smith (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) at 39:23. The assist was Smith’s team-leading third of the season.

St. Francis again took the lead with Davis’ second goal of the game at 45:34, but the Retrievers responded just 27 seconds later with senior attack Katie Cutchall (Hustontown, Pa./Forbes Road) scoring her second goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3 at the 46:01 mark. Cutchall had a career-high 14 shots in the game.

The Red Flash fought back to take a 4-3 lead at 55:58 when Monica Nicoles won a scramble inside the circle for a goal. But the Retrievers answered just 1:50 later, as freshman attack Paige Hartman (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) scored the first goal of her career at the 57:48 mark.

Senior attack Sara Gray (Severn, Md./Old Mill) gave the Retrievers a 5-4 lead at 60:29 with her first goal of the season, on an assist from Cutchall. But Davis tied it at 5-5 just three and a half minutes later, at the 63:00 mark.

Both teams had good scoring chances in each overtime, but the score remained the same for the final 37:00 of regulation and both extra periods, until Yanulevich scored the game-winner in sudden death penalty strokes.

Sophomore goalie Ashley Benitez (Sykesville, Md./Century) was a late scratch from the game, so junior Kathryn Tag (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace/U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) earned the second start of her career. She tallied a career-high seven saves while allowing two Red Flash goals in 65:00 of play. Freshman Rachael Drummonds (Elkton, Md./Elkton) did not record a save and allowed three goals in 35:00. Onto registered 15 saves in 100:00 for St. Francis.

The Retrievers out-shot the Red Flash, 32-15, and held a 20-4 advantage in penalty strokes. The 32 shots is more than half UMBC’s season total of 54, accumulated in the first six games. The Retrievers’ six goals tie a school record for goals in a game and are more than they had scored all season to this point, as well. The last time UMBC scored six goals in a game was Oct. 21, 2001, when the team defeated Siena, 6-2.

The Retrievers are now 5-0 against their former Northeast Conference foe since 2000, when field hockey returned to UMBC as a varsity sport.

The Retrievers return to action Sunday, Sept. 25, when they host Appalachian State at 11 a.m. at UMBC Stadium.