Late Goal Earns Eagles Landmark Championship

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Juniata College forward and Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year Paula Price (Camp Hill, Pa./East Pennsboro) scored with 1:05 remaining in regulation to lift the 13th-ranked Eagles to a 2-1 win over Catholic University, in the Landmark Conference Field Hockey Tournament championship game Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

Price's goal, off an assist from senior Kim Wagner (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), capped Juniata's come-from-behind victory over the Cardinals.

Catholic held a 1-0 lead at halftime, after Tory Gagliardi's redirect of a Meredith Chandler shot beat Eagle goalie Abby Funk (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) with just 3:41 left in the opening frame.

Wagner knotted the game at 1-1 with 19:05 left in the second half, when she beat Cardinal goalie Marian Cassilly at the right post with a shot off a loose rebound from an initial blast by Ashleigh Ehnts (Glenside, Pa./Bishop McDevitt).

The two teams played for another 18 minutes and appeared headed into overtime, until Price scored the game-winner. Wagner carried the ball deep to the right of the Catholic cage and sent a pass back through the circle past Cassilly, and onto the stick of a waiting Price - who sent a shot into the left corner of the goal.

Catholic outshot Juniata 11-6 on the afternoon, and held a 7-6 advantage in penalty corners.

Funk finished the game with four saves, as did Catholic's Cassilly.

The Eagles improved their overall record to 19-2, and have now won 11 straight games.

With no automatic qualifier for the new Landmark Conference champion, the Eagles will be in strong contention for an at-large selection to the NCAA tournament when the bracket is announced on Sunday, Nov. 4, at approximately 10 p.m.

Information on the NCAA tournament pairings will appear first on the NCAA's website, www.ncaasports.com, and will be posted later on Juniata's athletics website.