Bison Field Hockey Routs Sweet Briar In Season Finale

Oct. 25 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College field hockey team rolled to a 9-0 victory over Sweet Briar College on Sunday afternoon. The Bison seniors all tallied points in their final game at Bison Stadium.

Bethany (7-12) ended their season on a high note as the team set game highs in goals, assists, points, and shots. Five different Bison recorded goals in the contest.

Junior Natalie Knauer (West Deptford, N.J./Gateway Regional) notched the first score of the game in the fifth minute of action. Knauer took a pass from teammate Courtney Gill (Little Egg Harbor, N.J./Pinelands Regional) and beat the Sweet Briar (0-8) goaltender to make it a 1-0 game. Knauer scored again in the 22^nd minute to earn the first multi-goal game of her career. She also added two assists for a career-high six points.

The Bison then gained a 3-0 advantage as senior T.J. Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seton) netted a goal less than a minute later. Freshman Sierra Cuellar (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) converted on a penalty stroke in the 26^th minute and another quick goal from Solomon gave Bethany a five-goal lead. Solomon collected nine shots in the match.

Bethany's offensive attack once again proved to be too much for the Vixens to handle as Gill finished off a pass from Knauer in the 34^th minute. The Bison went into intermission with a 6-0 lead. Bethany recorded 28 shots in the period, their highest total in a half since 2012.

Gill recorded her second goal of the game as she scored in the 60^th minute. The senior added another goal later in the contest to earn her first hat trick as a Bison. Gill had eight shots and finished with a career-high seven points.

Senior Racheal Nolen (Union Bridge, Md./Walkersville) tallied the first goal of her career in the 65^th minute, taking a pass from fellow senior Courtney Snyder (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) and finding the back of the net. Nolen totaled three shots on goal in her final game as a Bison.

Snyder played the first half in goal for Bethany, posting a shutout in her final time in between the pipes. At halftime, Snyder moved to forward for the first time since 2013. The senior earned an assist and posted three shots in the win.

Sophomore Hunter Webster (Newark, Del./Newark) replaced Snyder in net and didn't allow a goal in the second period, giving the Bison their second shutout on the season.

Offensively, the Green & White also received contributions from Angelica Darling (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) and Amanda Henson (Bristol, Pa./Bristol), who each recorded shots on goal.

The Bison finished the season with seven victories, marking the most by the program since the team was reinstated in 2012. The Bison set new season highs in every statistical category and showed that they are program on the rise.