Box Score
PURCHASE GAME DVD
BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Sophomore Taylor Prillaman scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Bridgewater Eagles field hockey team to a 3-1 victory over Eastern Mennonite on Friday evening at the Jopson Athletic Complex.
With the win, Bridgewater (10-3, 4-1 ODAC) is off to its best start in more than two decades and the victory also marks the Eagles' second straight victory over the Royals. Bridgewater's win also moves the Eagles into sole possession of third place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).
Both teams traded shots to open the contest before the Eagles broke the early deadlock at the 17:27 mark. Sophomore Allison Kirk took a one-touch pass from Colleen Dickson and beat the keeper with a shot to put the Eagles out in front by a 1-0 score.
Bridgewater kept the pressure on the Royals following Kirk's goal before adding an insurance goal 11 minutes later. At the 28:29 mark, Prillaman ripped a shot from 10 yards out and her shot got by the keeper to the right side to extend the Bridgewater lead to 2-0.
Just over two minutes later, Prillaman tallied her second goal of the game to build a 3-0 Bridgewater lead.
Eastern Mennonite (3-12, 3-2 ODAC) got on the scoreboard with under two minutes remaining in the first half when Carol Brinkley took a Camille Williams pass and broke free and fired a shot into the right side of the cage to trim the Bridgewater lead to 3-1 at the break.
Bridgewater outshot Eastern Mennonite by a 12-6 tally in the first half despite the Royals owning a 6-4 edge in corners.
Out of the intermission, the two teams traded opportunities but neither team put a shot into the back of the cage over the final 35 minutes as the Eagles ran their winning streak to five games with a 3-1 victory over Eastern Mennonite.
Prillaman's five-point outing led the way for the Eagles as the Magnolia, Del. native fired off six shots to lead the Bridgewater offense to a 21-14 advantage in shots.
Senior Jessica Balsano turned away three Eastern Mennonite shots on the evening to pick up her 10th victory of the season.
Jenessa Derstine led the Royals with five shots on the evening, while Brinkley registered the lone goal for the Royals.
Eastern Mennonite netminder Mary Beth Danaher made four saves in the loss.
Bridgewater is back in action on Sunday at home when it hosts Christopher Newport. Start time against the 10th-ranked Captains is set for 2 p.m.
