2nd Half Offense ‘Eclipsed’ in SUN Conference Matchup, Sends Ave Maria to 10-6 Loss to Life; Eldridge 2G/1A/5CTOs/5DCs, Shaffrey 2G/1A for Gyrenes
Nease alum Allison Fifield with 1 CTO for Ave Maria
Quiet Second Half Sinks Gyrenes
AVE MARIA, Fla. — Ave Maria led the #8 Life Running Eagles at halftime but was held scoreless for the final 30 minutes of the game as Life went on to win 10-6.
The Gyrenes got on the board first mere seconds into the game Saturday morning. Oriana Eldridge buried a nice feed from Hannah Shaffrey to go up 1-0.
Life responded with back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead. Just a little over nine minutes into the game, Shaffrey got a goal herself, assisted by Alexandra Mazurczak, to tie up the game at two.
Life scored once more before the end of the quarter and took a 3-2 lead into the break.
The second quarter was all Ave Maria. Life got an early goal to build up a two-goal lead, but then the Gyrenes rattled off four unanswered goals.
Lily Hynds got the first goal less than a minute after the Life goal to bring AMU back within one. Eldridge then got her second goal of the game to tie, with a little over five minutes left in the half.
After fending off a Life attack, Abbey Seiler slung a nice feed from Hynds into the back of the net to give the Gyrenes their first lead since the Eldridge goal in the opening minute.
In the final minute of the game, Eldridge whacked the ball out of a Running Eagles’ stick, creating a two on one rush for the Gyrenes with Shaffrey. Eldridge feed Shaffrey to left and she did not miss, putting the Gyrenes up 6-4 heading into halftime.
However, the lead would not last. Life took control of the second half and shut the Gyrenes out in the final 30 minutes of the game. The Running Eagles didn’t dominate the Gyrenes defensively, Ave Maria still got nine shots off in the half, but three of those shots went wide and six were saved by the goalie tandem of Lily Philips and Ashley Hammel.
On the other end of the field, Life got 16 looks at the goal. Only two were saved while six felt polyester. When the final horn sounded, the Running Eagles walked off with a 10-6 win.
Shaffrey and Eldridge were tied for team lead in points, each with two goals and an assist.
Between the pipes, Emily Durr made seven saves, but suffered her fourth loss of the season.
With the loss, Ave Maria’s record falls to 5-5 and 2-2 in conference play. Saturday was also the final home game for the Gyrenes this season. They will go on the road for the final two matches of the regular season, hoping to earn their spot in the Sun Conference Tournament which will be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, this year.
This first of the two road games is Monday, April 8, in Miami Gardens against the St. Thomas Bobcats. STU, like Ave Maria, is 2-2 in conference play. The two teams are in a three-way tie for third place in the SUN Conference with the Keiser Seahawks.
