GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – In its 2022 debut, the No. 10 New Haven field hockey team held strong with No. 9 Adelphi, forcing overtime before dropping a 4-3 decision to the Panthers. Leading the Blue and Gold was senior Zharria John (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) who redirected a pair of balls to the back of the cage for the first multi-goal game of her career.
Joining John in finding the back of the cage was graduate student midfielder Sophie Schreck (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) who scored the final goal for New Haven which allowed for a 3-2 lead for the Blue and Gold which they held going into the intermission. That goal for Schreck came on a breakaway for the Chargers as freshman Carina Ramirez (Massapequa Park. N.Y./Massapequa) intercepted an Adelphi pass sending her own up where sophomore Abby Nixon (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) saved it off the end line into the front of the cage where Schreck knocked it in.
The first two goals for the Chargers came of penalty corners with the first breaking the scoreless draw in the seventh minute. Kat Trammel (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown) began the set piece as she fired to the top of the arc where Kelli Jacobson (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) slammed a shot on target which was redirected by John for her first of two tallies.
After surrendering two goals to the Panthers to close out the first quarter, John struck again just over two minutes into the second quarter, again off of a penalty corner. This time around, Trammel inserted the ball to Schreck at the top of the arc. Schreck passed off to her right where Taylor Geaglone (Enfield, Conn./Enfield) dribbled and drilled a shot from left of the goal that again found the outstretched stick of John which redirected the shot, rattling the back of the cage.
Defensively, graduate keeper Keira Integlia (Branford, Conn./Branford) made some impressive stops between the pipes, finishing her afternoon with seven saves total. Included in those seven stops was a pair of key stops about midway through the overtime period as she faced a scrum in front of her goal but thwarted the two scoring attempts. However, 6:30 into that first overtime frame the Panthers would convert on another attempt despite a valiant effort from Integlia as she outstretched fully to her right but was unable to stop the game-winner.
The Chargers will continue their season-opening five-game road trip with a two-game set in Pennsylvania, beginning on Friday, September 9 when they take on Bloomsburg at 3:00 p.m. Following that game, the Chargers will head to West Chester for a date with the Golden Rams on Sunday, September 11.
