Harriet Sudduth

The College of Wooster field hockey team was within a goal of league-leading Kenyon College at halftime, before a strong second half by the Ladies propelled the hosts to a 5-1 win on Wednesday afternoon at McBride Field in Gambier, Ohio.

Wooster (6-4, 3-3 North Coast Athletic Conference) tied the game at one in the 23rd minute. Just before the equalizer, junior Maeven Barry nearly snuck one in, but Kenyon (9-1, 6-0 NCAC) 'keeper Sarah Speroff fell on the ball, and trapped it setting up Wooster with a penalty stroke. On the stroke, sophomore Harriet Sudduth lifted her shot into the top of the cage, just below the crossbar for her fourth goal of the season.

At the game's onset, Kenyon struck quickly with Gigi Guenther beating Wooster's defense in the sixth minute with a shot into the right corner of the net.

In the 31st minute, Wooster 'keeper Katie Shideler made a big save on a shot by Katelyn Hutchinson off of a penalty corner try. On the next penalty corner seconds later, Hutchinson's attempt was blocked by the Scots' defense, but the Kenyon senior stuck with the play and put home the ensuing rebound for her sixth goal of the season.

Just after halftime, Kenyon's Weezie Foster scored on a play similar to the go-ahead goal in the 31st minute. Foster corralled a loose ball after a blocked shot on a penalty corner by the Ladies and made it 3-1 in the 40th minute.

The Ladies' Tara Sheety scored a pair of goals in the final 12:21 to round out the scoring.

Shideler was faced with another busy day in goal, and finished with 14 saves, her fourth game with at least that many on the season. Senior Emma Roderick backed that up with two defensive saves, one in each half.

Wooster is idle for a week before heading to Oberlin College (1-10, 0-6 NCAC) for a 5 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Oct. 4.