Grace O'Leary

Katie Shideler

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster field hockey team converted three of its four strokes in the shootout, while sophomore Katie Shideler held Kenyon College to a 1-for-4 mark, as the Fighting Scots picked up a big 3-2 win over the Ladies on Saturday morning at John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster (8-2, 4-2 North Coast Athletic Conference) junior Harriet Sudduth put the Scots on the board first in the shootout, and she was followed by successful attempts by sophomore Caitlyn O'Connor and senior Erika Womack, with Womack's giving the Scots the needed cushion for the win.

On the flip side, Sarah Metzmaier was the lone Kenyon (5-4, 4-2 NCAC) student-athlete to convert, but at that point the Ladies were already playing catch up, as Metzmaier's stroke made it 2-1.

Prior to the shootout, early indications from the game trended toward an offensive shootout, but the defenses fastened up and didn't allow a goal after halftime.

Kenyon's Tara Shetty beat Wooster's defense down the field in the 11th minute for the game's first goal, but NCAC leading goal-scorer Sydney Schuster had an answer with her 12th goal of the season less than a minute later.

The quick-strike theme continued 54 ticks later when Metzmaier's dribbler rolled into the cage to make it 2-1.

That's where the score stood until first-year Katie Agatucci finished on a rebound in the 23rd minute.

While neither team scored again in regulation or the two overtime stanzas, both teams had numerous scoring threats, starting with Wooster in the 30th minute. The Scots had a 2-on-1 opportunity thwarted by Kenyon 'keeper Suzy Deems who played a cross out of the circle.

In the 64th minute, it was Kenyon's turn to make a run at a 2-on-1 opportunity, but junior Grace O'Leary hustled back in time to prevent the scoring threat from materializing.

Kenyon had the best offensive chances in the first overtime, especially in the last two minutes of play. Shideler raced out from her 'keeper position to stop a fast-break chance by the Ladies and made a save on Shetty's shot. Later, O'Leary worked her way into the mix by intercepting with cross just inside the circle with 20 ticks remaining.

Shideler's series of big plays continued into the second overtime, as the sophomore saved an Isabella Meneguzzi shot attempt in a 1-on-1 situation.

Wooster's best overtime chances came at the end of the second stanza. That's when Wooster had a pair of penalty corners and two shot attempts, but the Scots couldn't covert for the golden goal.

Wooster finished with a 19-14 edge in shots, and a three-to-one ratio in penalty corners.

Deems logged a game-high seven saves for Kenyon, while Wooster's Shideler had six.

Noteworthy, the win marked Wooster's first in a shootout since Oct. 20, 2004, and with the victory, the Scots snapped the Ladies 10-game series winning streak.

Wooster is back in action with a noon tilt at Oberlin College (1-9, 0-6 NCAC) on Sunday.