Daddio nets hat trick as Gulls top Wesley
The No. 9 Salisbury University field hockey team hosted its eighth-annual Corners for Cancer game on Wednesday night at Sea Gull Stadium, raising money and awareness for breast cancer research, and coming away with a 9-0 win against Wesley College.
With fans getting the opportunity to pledge a dollar amount per penalty corner awarded to the Sea Gulls, the home team made the night count drawing 17 corners, more than five above their season average.
The Sea Gulls (8-3, 2-1 Capital Athletic Conference) controlled play early, with the first near miss coming with four minutes gone in the contest. Junior Emily Lemanski took a quick back handed shot from the left side, which surprised Wesley goalkeeper Bridget Wood and got past her, but Alexis Howerin was there for the defensive save. The rebound came right to Lemanski, who lifted a shot toward the cage, but Wood made a quick move to knock it away.
Salisbury got on the board off Tara Daddio's third goal of the year two minutes later when sophomore Arielle Johnston ripped a blast from the top of the circle off one of the Sea Gulls' eight penalty corners in the opening half. Daddio was positioned in front of Wood and deflected the shot into the left side of the cage for the game's opening goal.
Daddio added her second of the night nine minutes later, receiving a cross from Natalie Wilkinson from the left side. Daddio settled the feed just in front of the net, spun and fired under Wood for the 2-0 lead.
The sophomore finished her hat trick by cleaning up a rebound from a Wilkinson shot with just over 15 minutes left on the clock in the first half.
Wilkinson capped the opening half's scoring when sophomore defender Jillian Hughes picked off a Wesley pass near midfield and carried it all the way to the end line, crossing the ball for Wilkinson, who slammed home her fifth of the year for the 4-0 lead.
Salisbury controlled play in the second half, but failed to find the back of the net until freshman Camryn Dennis struck with the first of her career. She took a penalty corner insert from Lemanski at the top of the circle, wound up and ripped a drive into the left side for a 5-0 lead 20 minutes into the second half.
The Dennis tally sparked a five-goal run over the next 14 minutes with classmate Rebecca Lloyd getting the next one just three minutes later, followed by senior Hayley Dize and sophomore Mary Guest each scoring on rebounds before Lloyd capitalized on a penalty stroke chance with less than a minute remaining in the contest. The goals for Dize and Guest marked the first of the season for each of them.
The Salisbury midfield and defense, led by Hughes and Johnston, did not allow the Wolverines to attempt a shot, and limited Wesley (3-11, 0-3 CAC) to just one penalty corner.
Salisbury is back in action next Wednesday, October 18 when it travels to York College of Pennsylvania.
