field hockey falls short, needs help

One has been the margin in 11 of 17 Muhlenberg field hockey games this season, but the most important significance of the number to the team is that senior Kristen Sabia wears it on her back.

Sabia, whose career was ended by a knee injury three weeks ago, got to

Seniors Sabia, Notarianni and Cohn have combined career totals of 68 goals and 27 assists.

wear her number 1 on the field one last time for the first few seconds of the Mules’ regular-season finale against Gettysburg. After exiting to a nice round of applause at the first whistle, Sabia watched her team control play for most of the first half.

Unfortunately, the game did not have a storybook ending, as the 13th-ranked Bullets put in a goal off a penalty corner early in the second half and held on to win, 1-0.

The loss turned the Mules (9-8, 5-5), who would have clinched a Centennial Conference playoff berth with a victory, into scoreboard watchers on Saturday. Muhlenberg needs McDaniel to beat Haverford and Dickinson to lose to Washington in order to make the playoffs.

Sabia was honored along with fellow seniors Tara Cohn and Nicki Notarianni before the game, and three pumpkins with “NICKI,” “TACO” and “SABS” carved into them sat at the scorer’s table throughout the contest. But playing a team wearing orange uniforms on Halloween eve proved to be more trick than treat.

Muhlenberg had two strings of three consecutive penalty corners in the first half but could not put the ball in the cage, although one hit the left post. The Mules had advantages of 6-3 in shots and 7-2 in penalty corners in the first 35 minutes.

The second half was a different story, as Gettysburg (13-4, 7-2) won all 11 corners and outshot Muhlenberg, 7-1, en route to its fourth consecutive one-goal win.
Click here for box score.