March 1
Lady Falcons Eke Out Close Victory Over Myers Park, 8-7

The bird-of-prey Falcons had a successful day in Huntersville, starting with a close win over a Myers Park team that proved stronger than expected. Throughout most of the game, the Lady Falcons fought hard to play catch-up to the Mustangs. But with just 10 minutes left in the game, the Falcons finally took the lead to eke out a come-from-behind victory.

The game against the Myers Park Mustangs started out inauspiciously. Myers Park scored the first point on penalty, and Green Hope got even 24 seconds later when goalie Katie Worsdale cleared to Lauren "Coz" Cosentino, who in turn passed to Brittany Ruppert for the first point. But the Lady Falcons soon found themselves in the unfamiliar position of not dominating possession. On the other hand, they were given an opportunity to showcase their defensive talents. The constant attack on goal was thwarted time after time by Worsdale, who thrilled the crowd with repeated saves, interceptions and ground ball recoveries. Rachel Chapla showed some good ground ball hustle, and defender Ali Brown took more than a few for the team. After the Mustangs put two more points on the board, the Falcons finally answered back. Defender Christina Demetros held back the Mustangs to allow Jenna Lang to connect to Kelly Reiser for a point. Then after the Falcons teased the Mustangs with a game of catch in front of their goal, Ruppert, with assist from Casey Reiser, put one in to tie the score 3-3. After Casey Reiser deflected the ball with her head on the run, the Mustangs tried twice to score on penalty but were denied by Worsdale.

The second half started off slow for the Falcons. The Mustangs put two more on the board pretty quickly to put the game at 3-5. But with 10 minutes left in the game the Falcons came to life and broke down the tough Mustang offense. Coz scored on a penalty, then again when Worsdale cleared to her from a save. Ruppert completed the hat track with a penalty shot that bounced off the goalie and into the cage. For the first time, the Falcons were up, 6-5. The Mustangs tied it up with another point, but the Falcon attackers were still on fire. Deirdre O'Connor connected to Coz, who scored on a quick-stick. Ruppert spun round in front of the cage to put another one in. With only 1:41 showing on the clock, the Mustangs tried to catch up with a point on penalty. Coz and Ruppert attempted to run out the clock in a game of keep-away, but when the Falcons lost the ball, it was up to Worsdale to prevent overtime. In what will probably be one of the most memorable end to any game, "I want to be a field player" Worsdale ran out the clock outside of the cage, dodging and evading Mustang attackers for the victory.

Contributed by Ri-Shea Schlitter

Photos contributed by Scott Brown