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MORGAN MARSHALL
Special to The Leader
As the Blue Devils made their annual trip down to Bradenton, Florida, they started off with a loss to Rowan University, 10-11, on March 18.
Rowan had scored in the last six seconds of the game to overcome Fredonia by one. Its last goal was scored by Rachel Hofbauer.
Junior Kristie Kleine led the Blue Devils with six goals, two draw controls and four ground balls. Freshmen Jade Williams and Monica Van Donsel, and senior Katie Miller followed her with one goal each.
The Devils played again on March 21 against Stevens Institution. Sophomore Audrey Yokopovich led the team with four goals and one assist, followed by Miller with three goals, Williams with two goals and one assist, and Kleine with one goal and two assists allowing the Devils to come out on top over Stevens 10-5.
To end their week in Florida, the Blue Devils faced St. Lawrence University and defeated the team 10-7. Four goals were scored by Kleine, three goals and one assist by Samantha Spiess, Miller scored three goals and had one assist, and sophomore Nicole Burrows had nine saves in the game as well.
“Going into Florida, 1-2, and finishing the week 4-3, really shows our improvement from the start of the season until now,” said Kleine. “We have showed that we are capable of competing against any team. We have improved upon our small mental errors and reduced the amount of turnovers we have, which has made us succeed. Our defense is our strong point this year, and with that comes our goalie. [Burrows] does a great job in the back and has made many crucial saves for us.”
When the Devils returned home from the annual trip they played on March 26 against University of Mount Union at University Stadium. Yokopovich played a large role with three goals and two assists. Kleine and Miller followed with two goals, and Williams with one. This game featured two teams that played in the last two NCAA Division III tournaments and were ranked this year in the top 20.
Yokopovich added, “We’ve been improving each game. We have been taking practices more seriously and have been pushing each other so we are ready for the games. These three consecutive wins have helped with our confidence greatly and only hope to continue the streak.”
“It was nice to get the redemption win against Mount Union,” Miller said. “A lot of our players stepped up during spring break and it carried over into our win on saturday. We’re ready to continue our win streak on Wednesday at Nazareth.”
The Blue Devils will play at Nazareth College today at 4 p.m. before they face SUNY Cortland, the defending SUNYAC champions, on Saturday.