Mounts Break Through in 3rd

SOUTH LEBANON — Ephrata scored twice in the third period to post a 2-1 Lancaster- Lebanon League Section Two field hockey win at Cedar Crest on Tuesday night.

The Mounts (7-1 overall, 1-1 L-L Section Two) had several opportunities in the first half but did not break through until Joanna Ehrhart and Anna Commero hit the back of the net after intermission.

“We came out with a little more intensity and focus in the third,” Ephrata head coach Joy Rice said. “That’s happened a lot to us this year. So, we go back to the basics (at halftime) and remind the forwards of where they should be. Then we encourage the mids to look for the forwards.”

Ehrhart broke the scoreless tie on a corner with 11:42 left in the third. Claudia Pfautz had the assist with the insert pass.

Commero made it 2-0 with 5:01 remaining in the third with an assist from Campbell Shelley.

Meanwhile, Cedar Crest (2-7, 0-2) was generating scoring opportunities with six corners and a handful of other forays into Ephrata’s circle. But the Falcons still had just one shot on net with two minutes left in the game.

One key play that came up empty for Cedar Crest was Paige Bucher’s 60-yard dribble down the left side of the field with four minutes left in the contest. She maneuvered into the circle and made a nice crossing pass to her right, but no teammate was there, and the Mounts cleared the ball out of danger.

But the Falcons kept the pressure on and earned a corner in the waning minutes. After Ephrata’s Peyton Loose cleared a near goal from the post, Ashley Lamson played the rebound back in for Cedar Crest’s lone goal with 1:32 on the clock.

“I wish we would have played the last five or six minutes the whole game,” Cedar Crest head coach Alicia Arnold said.

The Falcons performed well in the first half, especially on the defensive end. They repelled five Ephrata corners, and goalie Hailey Newmaster stopped the first seven shots she faced. She also cleared a dangerous ball out of the circle with an unchecked Alise Althouse approaching in the first period.

“I was impressed with our ability to hang in there for two quarters,” Rice said. “We’re a young team; most of our players didn’t play last year in high school.”

Ephrata had 15 shots on goal and eight corners. Goalie Hannah Popolis made one save, which came during a Falcon corner with three minutes left in the first period.

Cedar Crest had three shots on goal and six corners. Newmaster finished with 13 saves.

“We had breakdowns on our one-v-one skills,” Arnold said. “We were hitting right to their sticks and our midfielders were moving backwards. Our defense played well and Hailey had a great presence.”

Ephrata is the defending L-L Section Two champion, but, having lost its first section contest to Manheim Central, really needed this win to stay in the hunt.

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