BOX SCORE Loretto, Pa- The Saint Francis field hockey survived an upset bid by the Davidson Wildcats by winning 2-1 in a heart-stopping OT victory to remain unbeaten in A-10 conference play. The Red Flash improved to 7-4 on the year and 3-0 in conference.
 
Ceretta's Reaction
 
It was a thrilling tight match with a scrappy team that had nothing to lose but the Red Flash were able to keep cool under pressure. As coach Ceretta explained, "I think the determination to never give up got us the win. Our resiliency was the key." 
 
Turning Point
 
In the 39th minute with the score 1-0 in favor of Davidson and the Wildcats holding all the momentum, Davidson's Courtney Byler lined up to take a penalty stroke. The reigning A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year Elizabeth Dyer (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) shifted in anticipation and expertly blocked the shot to prevent the Red Flash from falling into a deeper crevasse. Momentum returned to Saint Francis' side. 
 
Highlights

• Saint Francis, as customary, started off fast with a flood of shots and penalty corners all of which could not find their intended destination.
• Two minutes into the contest, Grace Gibson (Otane, New Zealand/Napier Girls')'s shot, coming off a penalty corner, went wide.
• Davidson goalkeeper Sarah Zeszotarski blocked a Hannah Retherford (Benton, Pa./Benton) shot, in the 5th minute.
• In the 7th minute, another Grace Gibson (Otane, New Zealand/Napier Girls') shot flew just wide left off her stick.
• Brea Seabrook (Wilkes Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial), in the 11th minute, had two consecutive sizzling shots denied.
• Davidson finally pushed the ball down the field to earn two penalty corners. Both opportunities were blocked away.
• Starting in the 15th minute, the Red Flash had five sequential penalty corners. Davidson, under immense pressure, held the line.
• In the 23rd minute, Davidson received a penalty corner chance. Lauren Gampper took the inserted penalty corner pass from Anna Brewer and sent a perfect shot left to right into the goal to break the deadlock.
• In a constant theme, the Red Flash were granted during the 26th minute another penalty corner. Brea Seabrook (Wilkes Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial)'s shot missed by inches as it deflected off the post. Taylor Nesmith (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley)'s attempt at a rebound also narrowly missed.
• The remainder of the first half saw five shots by the Red Flash barely miss the goal.
• The 39th minute of the game saw the turning point of the contest. Davidson found a breakaway opportunity and was tripped up by a Red Flash defender that earned the Wildcats a penalty stroke. Elizabeth Dyer (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) blocked Byler's shot to prevent a further deficit.
• The 41th minute saw a multitude of close range shots denied by Zesotarski. Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name) and Brea Seabrook (Wilkes Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial) tried valiantly to sneak a shot past but the Wildcats held firm.
• The next three minutes found the Red Flash attempting penalty corner after penalty corner to no avail.
• The 51st minute of action saw another penalty corner for the Red Flash but this time with a twist. A Davidson player, quite exuberantly, left the goal before she was allowed. This gave Saint Francis, a type of pseudo power play, as Davidson was penalized by having one less player in the pen. The Red Flash were unable to launch a clean shot.
• With the game winding down in the 59th minute, the Red Flash found the tiebreaker shot. Brea Seabrook (Wilkes Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial) assisted Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name) with a beautiful pass and Govia responded with a sensational shot to knot it up 1-1.
• The last minutes witnessed both teams flying up and down the field looking for an opening but finding none.
• Sudden death overtime died quickly after a mere 30 seconds of existence. Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name) saw Hannah Retherford (Benton, Pa./Benton) in the clear and delivered a perfect pass. Retherford finished the transaction to deliver the Red Flash an epic overtime win.

Notes

• The Red Flash earned 20 penalty corners to the Wildcats' seven.
• Saint Francis outshot Davidson 28 shots to eight.
• Elizabeth Dyer (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) went the full 70 minutes and recorded four saves.
• This is the second straight game where Hannah Retherford (Benton, Pa./Benton) recorded the game-winning goal.
• With her goal and assist, Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name) takes the scoring lead for the Red Flash with 18 points. Additionally, she leads the team in assists (6) and is tied for the leads in goals (6).
• Saint Francis, instead of the customary cerise jerseys, wore sharp white uniforms for the game.

Up Next
 
The Red Flash start a month of road games as they visit the City of Brotherly Love and Benjamin Franklin to play Saint Joseph's and La Salle next weekend.