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October 25, 2009

Keystone rides defense to top seed

By Tom Robinson
Go Lackawanna sports correspondent

SCRANTON – Keystone College never makes it easy or comfortable, but with a stingy defense leading the way, the Giants keep winning field hockey games.

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Abington Heights graduate Samatha Morgan is part of the Keystone College field hockey team that has won nine-straight games.

Photo Courtesy of Keystone College

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Keystone ran its winning streak to nine games Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Neumann College that clinched the top seed in the Colonial States Athletic Conference playoffs.

CSAC wins account for the last seven in the streak, which features six one-goal victories and three more wins by two goals. The Giants have been able to get through the close games by shutting our four teams and holding four others to a goal during the winning streak.

“I always tell them, if the other team doesn’t score, they can’t beat us,” Keystone coach Kacy Manning said.

Strength up the middle helps Keystone limit opponents’ opportunities.

Whitney Hubshman, a senior from Lackawanna Trail, anchors the defense from the center back position.

“We’re just very good at stopping the ball,” Manning said. “Whitney Hubshman is amazing. Not much gets through.”

Before teams can even try, they first have to get past a midfield that features Nicole Macedonio, another senior from Lackawanna Trail’s outstanding program, in the center and Samantha Morgan and Kellina Yarrish on the outside.

“When people try to put balls across the middle, Nicole Macedonio scoops up everything,” Manning said.

The midfield combination helps the team both ways.

“They play excellent defense and they generate so much of our offense,” Manning said.

The three midfielders teamed for the winning goal against Neumann, which entered the game at Riverfront Sports with just one league loss. Macedonio and Morgan got the play started on the penalty corner, assisting on a goal by Yarrish with 14:53 to play.

The midfielders are the top three scorers.

Macedonio leads with nine goals and four assists. She started the week fourth in the CSAC in goals.

Yarrish is second with five goals and three assists.

Morgan, a sophomore from Abington Heights, came in 26th in the country in Division III of the NCAA in assists and added her ninth to go along with two goals. A second-team, all-star last year, along with Yarrish and Hubshman, Morgan was named to the CSAC Honor Roll earlier in the week after scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Immaculata.

Brackney Brotzman is the leading scorer among forwards with six goals.

At the other end, the Giants have received a boost from Melinda Moore, a junior goalie who leads the CSAC in shutouts and goals against average.

“She’s a basketball player at Keystone,” Manning said. “The goalie we had last year got hurt and had ACL surgery. Melinda decided last spring to give it a try and she’s done an awesome job for us.

“She’s aggressive; she’s not afraid; and she doesn’t get down when she does give up a goal.”

MORE FIELD HOCKEY

It was a big week for the other two area field hockey teams as well.

Marywood won four straight over a six-day stretch to reach the .500 mark.

Scranton moved within a game of .500 by beating a winning Muhlenberg team, 1-0, Wednesday.

Brittany Beaton scored the game-winner in overtime Wednesday when Marywood topped Cedar Crest, 2-1, to finish the regular season with a 4-4 CSAC and 8-8 overall record.

Beaton had two goals and an assist Monday in a 3-2 win over Misericordia. Lackawanna Trail graduate Emily Eremo had an assist.

The winning streak started October 16 when Beaton also had an overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over Hood. Abington Heights graduate Maggie Brittain scored the other Marywood goal.

Tara Winter scored her first goal of the season off a penalty corner late in the first half and Deirdre Rocklein made six saves to help Scranton to a 1-0 victory over Muhlenberg, which entered the game with an 8-5 record.

Scranton improved to 7-8.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Siobhan Blancaflor had a goal and an assist Tuesday when Marywood extended its school record unbeaten streak to 12 games with a 5-0 romp over Baptist Bible College.

Lisa Hanselman scored her team-high 15th goal of the season to start the scoring for Marywood, which improved to 7-0-1 in the CSAC and 11-2-1 overall. Baptist Bible is 5-4 and 9-8.

Marywood needs a Saturday win over Immaculata to clinch the top seed for the CSAC playoffs.

The streak was tested during a 2-1 overtime victory over Gwynedd-Mercy.

Lisa Gavin scored the winner.

Scranton held Moravian, the Landmark Conference leader, to a 1-1 tie Wednesday night.

Freshman Sydney Parker scored on a rebound of a Chelsea Paskman shot to give Scranton the lead in the 17th minute. Moravian (3-0-1 and 8-5-2) tied the game in the second half and the teams played two scoreless 10-minute overtimes.

Scranton is 1-2-1 and 11-3-2.

Goalie Caitlyn Byrne is the latest Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Byrne posted her sixth shutout of the season and 12th of her career with five saves in a 2-0 win over Catholic October 17. She finished the week leading the conference in goals against average (0.58) and save percentage (.817).

MEN’S SOCCER

Marywood goalie Jared El Gayeh was named to the CSAC Honor Roll after going unscored upon in two wins to help the Pacers extend their winning streak to three games and improve to 4-1 in the conference.

Gayeh leads the conference with an 0.72 goals against average. He built his unscored-upon streak to 359:49 in Wednesday’s scoreless tie with defending champion Cabrini to keep Marywood unbeaten in four games.