Dudley tips the balance for Owls
Sixty minutes couldn’t settle Tuesday’s field hockey game between host Manchester Valley and Westminster, so the Carroll County rivals went at it for an additional 10. And maybe a minute more. Westminster’s Emily Dudley finished a penalty-corner try after time expired in overtime to lift the Owls past the Mavericks, 3-2, a win that kept her team unbeaten in county play.
“I know that [coach Katie] Corson had said that if we’re tired we need to be honest about it, so we can get fresh legs in there,” a tired Dudley said afterward. “But I think the majority of us really just had the heart today and wanted to go out and beat them. ... Really, it came down to determination and heart.”
Dudley’s game-winner came after the ball crossed through the circle on a pass from junior Chloe Sankovich to sophomore Haleigh Moore. Mavericks goalie Jacie Wood darted out to cut off the angle, and she charged after Moore just as the two met at the ball.
Moore, who had three assists Tuesday, was able to get around Wood, who had gone to the ground to make a save, and sent the ball back toward the cage, where Dudley was waiting.
Westminster (7-3, 3-0 county) celebrated on the field after coming out on top of a long, back-and-forth contest, while Man Valley (6-3, 2-1) played in its second consecutive overtime game.
The Mavericks hadn’t played since Sept. 22, when they edged South Carroll, 2-1, but senior midfielder Meghan Harmon gave her team a 1-0 lead less than seven minutes in when she ripped a shot past Owls goalie Lauren Jenne off a penaltycorner attempt. Dudley, a senior forward, tied the game less than seven minutes later, and the score stood at 1-1 at halftime.
Moore found junior forward Alli Zimmerman near the cage with 20:26 remaining in regulation, and Zimmerman knocked in a goal from close range to put the Owls ahead. But Harmon, who draws defensive attention because of her hard, accurate shot, brought the Mavs even after she sent a backhanded drive into Westminster’s cage with 11:04 to go.
The game remained tied, and both teams had chances with the overtime rules that give players more room to run (seven players per side, including goalies).