Drew Secures Postseason Berth With Convincing Win

MADISON, N.J. - On Senior Day, a sophomore stole the show as Lizz Law scored a hat trick in Drew's 5-1 field hockey win over Moravian as the Rangers clinched a Landmark Conference playoff berth.  Law scored three times off penalty corners and senior Jen Schoepflin had a goal and two assists.  With the win, Drew (11-7, 4-2) secured its spot in the Landmark Conference playoffs.  Drew will travel to play Juniata on Wednesday.

The Rangers held off an early spell of pressure from the Greyhounds to keep the game scoreless after 15 minutes, despite being out played.  In the 15th, Law fired a warning shot as she blasted just wide of the cage off a penalty corner as the clouds broke and then game was improbably drenched in sunshine.

Schoepflin got a big first goal that changed the momentum of the game completely.  The Rangers won a free hit outside of the circle that Nicole DiBattista sent into the mix.  Law tipped the pass to Schoepflin in front of goal where the senior slid a clever backhanded shot through the five hole and in for a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.

Just five minutes later, Law tacked on a second off a corner, as simple as it can be.  Ryan Hoover sent in a perfect insert that Law collected and then torched for her tenth goal of the season.

The Rangers nearly added a spectacular third in the 35th, but Kati Eggert's diving attempt went wide off goal after a nice interchange from Schoepflin and Law.  The game entered the half at 2-0.

The old axiom that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in sports, proved true as the Greyhounds pulled one back after the break as the game tightened up.  Julia Garofalo collected Erica Spatz's pass in the circle and calmly fired past the Ranger defense.

The game seemed likely to go either way for the next five minutes as the two teams played back and forth hockey.  It was an outstanding goal that came next to break the game open for the Rangers.
Senior Meghan Santaniello grabbed a loose ball in the Rangers' half of the field and quickly found Lizz Law behind all but one of the Moravian defenders.  Law carried the ball deep into the Greyhound defense, cleverly pulling a defender away from the middle where Santaniello's fifty yard run was aimed.  Law's delicate pass back to Santaniello was finished well by the senior earning 3-1 lead for Drew.

With the insurance goal in hand, the Rangers survived one more scare from the Greyhounds as keeper Stef Rutkowski and defenders Nicole Gagliardi and Nicole DiBattista all made crucial saves.

Law got her second just four minutes after Santaniello's with another blast of a corner, this time with Whit Kerns stopping Schoepflin's insert.  Finally, ten minutes later Schoepflin again set up Law off a corner for the hat trick in the 64th.

The scoreline flatters the Rangers a bit as the Greyhounds matched Drew in all departments outside of finishing and corners.  Both teams had 12 shots and 8 corners, but the great finishes from Schoepflin and Santaniello in combination with the well worked corners provided Drew with a comfortable victory.