Field Hockey Downs St. Thomas Aquinas In Overtime

Field Hockey Downs St. Thomas Aquinas In Overtime

SPARKILL, N.Y. – Freshman midfielder Maddison Conlon notched her first-career game-winning goal in the 84th minute of action to lift the Converse College (3-11) field hockey team over St. Thomas Aquinas (6-11) by the final of 2-1 on Friday evening. This marks the third win in the last four contests for the Valkyries.

Marina Montes-Nino led the Purple and Gold with six shots, including five on goal, while Conlon and Cassandra Bravo added a goal each. Ciriaca Petitto earned the win for Converse after playing all 84 minutes in goal, collecting eight saves while allowing only one score.

The Valkyries wasted no time getting on the board as Bravo took a pass from Conlon across the box in the ninth minute and blasted it into the back of the cage to give Converse the early advantage. The remaining part of the first half put the goalies on display as neither would budge or allow anything which led the Valkyries to the 1-0 halftime lead.

More than 20 minutes into the second half of play Petitto continued to stand strong in goal until Meghan McCarren took a pass from Jade Hill and snuck it just by the goal to tie the contest at 1-1.  Just as the first half ended the second half mirrored it and the teams went into their first overtimes of the season.

Petitto was challenged early in the OT as St. Thomas Aquinas took six shots in the first five minutes of the extra session, but she was equal to the task, knocking away every potential game-winner. The missed opportunities set up Conlon for the game winner, sending the Valkyries bench rushing the field in pandemonium.

St. Thomas Aquinas outshot Converse by a margin of 15-11 as well as a 9-7 advantage in penalty corners. Each goalie tallied eight saves.

The Valkyries will be back in action on Sunday, October 29 when they travel to Long Island, N.Y. to take on Molloy College. Converse defeated the Lions 5-1 on October 8 for the program's first ever win. The game on Sunday will also be highlighted by USA Field Hockey as the Division II Game-of-the- Week.