By Charles Baynum//
The Hood College field hockey team turned in one of its best stretches of the season, highlighted by a dominant Senior Day win and a pair of dramatic overtime victories that showed the Blazers’ growth and resilience as conference play heats up.
The week began with a statement performance on Senior Day, where Hood rolled past Gwynedd Mercy 7–0 at Thomas Athletic Field. The Blazers celebrated eight seniors before the game and then delivered a season-high 34 shots in a complete team effort.
Kate Haufe led the way with two goals on a career-best 10 shots, while Morgan Hackett tied a program record with three assists.
Grace Guy made two saves to earn the shutout in goal. Sydney Fleming opened the scoring off a penalty-corner scramble, and Haufe doubled the lead before halftime by cleaning up a rebound.
The Blazers poured it on in the second half with goals from Ava Snelsire, Haufe, Emma Numme and Elizabeth Buohl to put an exclamation point on the win.
Just a few days earlier, Hood thrilled the home crowd with a 3–2 shootout victory over Roanoke College. After a scoreless first half, the Maroons struck first early in the third quarter, but Haufe tied it moments later on a rebound for her seventh goal of the season. Madeline Moreno then powered home a shot to give Hood the lead, but Roanoke equalized on a penalty stroke late in regulation.
The game turned into a battle of endurance through double overtime and a penalty shootout. Guy made several clutch saves to keep the Blazers alive, including two in the shootout. Haufe converted the opening attempt, and Ellie Dainton followed with a slick spin move and finish to give Hood a 2–0 edge. Guy stopped the final Roanoke attempt to clinch the win in front of an energized crowd.
On the road at Delaware Valley, Hood suffered a tough 2–1 overtime loss despite controlling large stretches of play. Hackett scored her first goal of the season late in regulation to tie the game off a penalty-corner setup from Fleming. The Blazers pushed for a late winner, but the Aggies netted the decisive goal off a deflection three minutes into overtime.
Haufe registered three shots on goal, and Moreno came up with a key defensive save to keep Hood close.
The Blazers bounced back quickly with another dramatic finish, this time earning a 3–2 double-overtime win at Eastern University to open conference play. Moreno led the attack with two goals, including the overtime winner, while Scally added her first goal of the season. After Eastern tied the match late in regulation, Hood capitalized on a penalty corner in the final minutes of the second overtime. Numme found Moreno inside the circle, and she buried the shot for the golden goal.
Across the four-game stretch, the Blazers showed offensive depth and mental toughness, combining high-scoring outbursts with gritty defensive stands. With momentum building and conference play underway, Hood looks to carry that same energy into the final weeks of the season.
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