GREENWOOD - The Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters got a goal with just under ten minutes left to tie the game at one but the Lander Field Hockey team was not phased as a good defensive play by Iris Van Der Does (Rotterdam, Netherlands) sparked a breakaway that eventually found the stick of Lauren Punt (Maasdam, Netherlands) who slotted home the eventual game-winner just shy of the 55th minute to give the Bearcats the 2-1 win on Thursday evening at Frank Hill Stadium.
Lander opens the season at 1-0 with their fifth consecutive win over their fellow third-year program while the Railspittlers drop to 0-1.
The goalkeeping tandem of Avery Tworkoski (Bernville, Pa.) and Isabel Elenga (Hillegom, Netherlands) each played thirty minutes, netting three saves between the pair.
Lander had many chances in the first 15 minutes but two saves by Lincoln Memorial's Ana Carney kept hosts off the scoreboard.
The Bearcats eventually cracked the back of the cage with just under five minutes to go in the second quarter as a Railsplitter penalty corner was quickly turned into a breakaway by the Blue and Gold as Punt found Puck Hoenderdos (Bloemendaal, Netherlands) who slotted home a goal in her first career game to give Lander a 1-0 lead.
The Railspitters had a good chance right at the halftime horn but were denied by Tworkoski to keep the Bearcats ahead heading into the break.
Lander was denied on three separate chances to double the lead by Carney in the third quarter but the Lander defense remained strong, holding the Railspitters to only one shot in the third 15 minutes.
Lincoln Memorial finally broke through with just under ten minutes to go, their first goal against the Bearcats in the five meetings between the teams. However, five minutes later, Van Der Does read a pass perfectly to intercept it and set up the eventual breakaway that led to Punt's game-winner, and from there, the Bearcats didn't allow a shot the rest of the way to ice the win in the season opener.
The Lander Field Hockey team hits the road for their next pair of games, starting with a neutral site contest against the Mansfield Mountaineers on September 13th before facing the Frostburg State Bobcats that following Sunday (Sept. 15). The Bearcats return home on September 17th as they host Converse.
