Red Hot Spiders Tied For First In A-10 After 4-3 Win Over La Salle

Friday, October 20

Crenshaw Field

3 PM

University of Richmond

(7-9, 5-1)

La Salle

(8-6, 3-4)

La Salle

Richmond

Red Hot Spiders Tied For First In A-10 After 4-3 Win Over La Salle

10/20/2017 | Field Hockey

Box Score

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – After every game this fall, the University of Richmond field hockey team huddles and screams the word, "Soar!"

Soaring is exactly what the Spiders have done in the second half of the 2017 season, winning seven of their past nine games and currently sit in a tie for the top spot in the Atlantic 10 with two games left in the regular season.

Friday's win was yet another example of this team's resiliency, gutting out a tough 4-3 win over a feisty La Salle team on a beautiful day at Crenshaw Field.

Leading the way was senior Kasey Gilbride, who scored two goals for her first multi-goal game of the season, while classmate Katrina Balatgek added a goal and an assist in their final home weekend as Spider field hockey student-athletes.

Richmond flipped it on from the first minute, aggressively challenging the Explorers, playing a wide-open game with several chances in the first few minutes of the contest.

That attack paid off as the seniors connected with Balatgek slipping a pass through the circle to a cutting Gilbride, who found the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.

Less than four minutes later, Richmond struck again, this time freshman Cadera Smith made a beautiful feed to another senior, Hannah Thomson, who blasted a shot home for a 2-0 lead.

The Explorers wouldn't go easily scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes of the first half to even things up at the break, 2-2.

Just over two minutes into the second half, it was Balatgek finding the back of the cage herself, taking a feed from sophomore Elise Zwicklbauer and chipping it home for a 3-2 Spider advantage.

Once again, La Salle wouldn't quit, finding the equalizer in the 57^th minute.

But it was Gilbride who wouldn't be denied in her final home weekend, taking a feed from Florentine Beelaerts Van Blokland and ripping home the game-winner with just under two minutes to play.

Junior Felicitas Heinzel once again came up big in the cage, registering double-digit saves for the 10^th time this season.

Richmond wraps up its 2017 home schedule with a Sunday tilt with Saint Francis. A win on Sunday locks up a spot in the 2017 Atlantic 10 Tournament, which is scheduled for early November.