Gophers Defend Their Turf with 15-7 Win Over Panthers

TOWSON, MD – Junior Ruel Ellis (Austin, TX) netted a career-high four goals against the visiting Hanover Panthers in a 15-7 rout at Beldon Field on Saturday. Two other Gophers chipped in with two goals each.

One year after a season-ending injury, Ellis has hit his stride for the Gophers, scoring a game-high four goals in a non-conference matchup at home. His previous career-high was a hat trick against Hood College on the road earlier this season. The junior midfielder has already found the back of the net nine times in 2017.

Senior Jake Ziegler (Buffalo, NY) and junior Pierce Bailey (Miami, FL) scored two goals each for Goucher to aid on the offensive end of the field. Junior Derek Bitzer (Doylestown, PA) and sophomore Michael Del Vecchio (Worcester, PA) led the team with two helpers each.

Junior Peter Cost (Berwyn, PA) was a menace on defense for the Gophers, accumulating four caused turnovers and four groundballs. Senior Corey Hill (Emmaus, PA) generated three caused turnovers to help out on defense for the Gophers.

Time in the cage was split between junior Matt Messerle (Limerick, PA) and freshman Alex Shields (Cockeysville, MD). Messerle collected six saves while Shields nabbed two saves.

The Panthers were led by senior Brock Warner and sophomore Bret Schell with two goals each. Sophomore Sam Green amassed a game-high seven ground balls in the face-off spot. He finished the game winning 12-of-18 (66.7%) of the face-offs.

Freshman Noah DuBrava played the entire game in net for the Panthers, making 18 saves on 33 shots.

How It Happened:

• Goucher spent a majority of the first quarter creating a 3-0 lead over the Panthers.
• However, Hanover retaliated and scored three goals in the final 1:07 of the period to knot the game up at 3-3.
• The Panthers jumped out to a 4-3 lead with a goal two minutes into the second quarter, but the lead was short-lived. Goucher netted four goals in a row heading into the locker room, taking a 7-4 lead.
• After making adjustments during the intermission, the Gophers came out firing on all cylinders, scoring five goals in the third quarter, while shutting the Panthers out on the other end of the field, generating a 12-4 lead.
• Hanover was first to strike in the fourth, scoring four minutes in, but Goucher quickly responded with two goals in rapid succession, taking the lead 14-5.
• The Panthers outscored the Gophers in the final 3:38, but it was too late to overcome the deficit, and Goucher secured its second win of the season, 15-7.
• The Gophers held an advantage in shots (46-23) in the game.

Up Next:

The Gophers look to secure back-to-back wins when they host Messiah at home on March 8^th at 7PM. In 2016's matchup in Mechanicburg, PA, the Falcons took home an 11-6 victory.