Aug. 26, 2012
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
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(1-1)
| | | 1 | 2 | F | | Ball State | 1 | 0 | 1 | | Lafayette | 3 | 2 | 5 |
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(1-0)
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| | | Scoring Summary | | Player | Assist | Time | | LC - Keenan (1) | Heaney (1) | 1:05 | | LC - Blass (1) | Valeo, DiCroce | 4:55 | | BSU - Widrick | unassisted | 14:50 | | LC - Smith (1) | unassisted | 18:39 | | LC - Valeo (1) | unassisted | 37:28 | | LC - Blass (2) | Valeo (2) | 52:46 |
| | | | Goalkeepers | | Player | Mins | GA | S | | LC - Deutsch (1-0) | 70:00 | 1 | 3 | | BSU - Elliott (0-1) | 35:00 | 3 | 2 | | BSU - Henley | 35:00 | 2 | 3 |
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EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette field hockey team opened its 2012 season with a 5-1 victory over Ball State on Sunday afternoon at Rappolt Field. Brittany Blass scored twice, including the game-winner, while Jessica Deutsch made three saves in goal.
Sixty-five seconds into the game, sophomore Kelsey Mead made her way through a couple defenders on the left sideline before passing to Kristin Heaney, who carried the ball along the endline and found Haley Keenan in front of the cage for the goal.
Less than four minutes later, Blass' first tally came from the top of the circle on a corner, which was inserted by Deanna DiCroce and stopped by Emily Valeo to set up the score and put Lafayette ahead 2-0.
Ball State's first corner of the game led to its only goal at the 14:50 mark. Tori Widrick inserted the ball toward the top of the circle and made her way to the goalmouth where she pounced on the rebound off of Deutsch's initial save of Bethany Han's shot.
Junior Aimee Smith pushed the Leopards' lead back to two with an unassisted tally at 18:39. Smith collected a loose ball on the right side and carried around a defender before cutting inside and sliding a shot between goaltender Maddi Elliott's legs.
Holding a 3-1 lead at halftime, Lafayette (1-0) added to its margin two and a half minutes into the second half. Valeo's first goal of the season came as she knifed her way through the Ball State (1-1) back line and lifted a shot over Shelby Henley's shoulder.
A beautifully executed corner play ran the final total to 5-1 when Blass deposited her second goal into the open cage. Mead inserted the short corner to Valeo, who settled the ball at the top of the circle, took a touch, and fed it left to Blass for the goal.
Lafayette controlled the game in all facets, earning eight penalty corners to Ball State's two, as well as outshooting the Cardinals, 13-5. Elliot turned away two shots and Henley made three saves in goal for Ball State.
The Leopards return to action on September 1, when they take on James Madison at noon in Harrisonburg, Va.
Notes:
Blass recorded her second-career multi-goal game.
Freshman Kirby Szalkowski made her collegiate debut for Lafayette.
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