February 29
Green Hope Beats Wakefield in Season Opener, 20-10

The 2008 Lady Falcons needed only 10 seconds to make their presence felt on the scoreboard on this Leap Day. Nineteen more points later, the Falcons wrapped up the game at 20-10. Strong performances were turned in not just by returning players but also by new players, who executed like seasoned veterans. New Head Coach Sibley stands undefeated, 1-0.

They're baaaaaack! And it took just 10 seconds for Lauren "Coz" Cosentino to score the first point of the season. Two quick Wakefield goals gave the Wolverines their only lead of the game, but it was short-lived. First Kelly Reiser connected to Coz to tie up the score, then after an impressive out-of-the-cage save by Katie Worsdale, Coz ran in a point of her own to put the Falcons ahead 3-2 with just 5 minutes off the clock. Seconds later, rookie Rachel Chapla passed to Casey Reiser, who connected with Brittany Ruppert for another point. After another save by Worsdale, Ruppert's next attempt at goal was denied, but the second time proved to be a charm as she scored on the rebound. An intercept by Christina Demetros was followed by a point by Kelly Reiser. A charge to the cage by Wakefield's Emma Rosenthal and another Wakefield penalty point closed the gap to 6-4. Jenna Lang was assisted by Coz for a point, followed immediately by another Wakefield penalty point. Just seconds later, Coz received her own draw and passed to Ruppert for a point. An Ali Brown to Chapla to Deirdre O'Connor connection was quickly followed by a shovel shot by Coz off of a pass from O'Connor to complete the first half score at 10-5.

Wakefield opened up the second half with the first score, but Coz struck back 16 seconds later, when she recovered a ground ball and shot high. A pass by O'Connor to Ruppert ended at the back of the net. Nine seconds later, Ruppert's quick stick on a pass by Coz upped the score, 13-6. Ten minutes into the half, the Falcons quickly scored three more points, first by Coz at the 8m, then by Casey Reiser with assist by Alannah Garcia, and finally a penalty point by Ruppert. The next Wolverine score was quickly answered by a Lang to Ruppert connection. Ruppert and Coz scored on another quick stick, but this time with Coz at the net. With minutes left in the game, Wakefield rallied to score 3 more times, interrupted once when Logan Kaznowski hit Ruppert for a point. With 2 minutes left, Ruppert scored a solo point, and a couple of last minute saves by goalie Cheryl Schlitter ensured that Ruppert had the last word of the game.

Notable defensive plays by Brown, Demetros, Lang, Kaznowski, Garcia and rookie Allie Klavik contributed to the team's success.

Contributed by Ri-Shea Schlitter

Photos contributed by Scott Brown