ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – The Delaware Valley field hockey team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday afternoon, falling to Eastern, 2-0, on the road.
Eastern applied pressure early, testing the DelVal defense and goalkeeper
Gracyn Shutt with a pair of penalty corners in the opening two minutes. The Aggies settled in and shifted the action into the Eagles' defensive circle, generating opportunities from
Kylie Conley and
Isabella Davis.
Eastern regained momentum late in the opening quarter, registering a pair of shots and converting the second to take a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles continued to pressure the Aggies in the second quarter, firing 12 shots over the 15-minute frame. DelVal's defense held firm to keep the deficit at one, highlighted by a defensive save from
Caylen Taylor in the 27th minute and 10 saves from Shutt in the quarter.
Eastern carried its momentum into the second half, adding its second goal just five minutes into the third quarter to extend the advantage to 2-0.
DelVal made a final push in the closing four minutes, generating four shots from Davis,
Ava Smadi, Taylor and Conley. The Eagles' defense turned away the late pressure to preserve the shutout.
Conley paced the Aggies with three shots, while Davis led the team with two shots on goal. Shutt played all 60 minutes in the cage, finishing with 12 saves on 14 shots on goal.
The Aggies return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 16, when they travel to Neumann for a 4 p.m. matchup.
