Gophers Hand Vikings First Defeat of 2014 in Rout

TOWSON, Md. — Stefi Perry (Houston, Texas/Klein) had four goals, while Erin Reifsnyder (Austin, Texas/St. Andrew's Episcopal) added three goals and five assists to lead Goucher to a comfortable 18-6 victory over previously unbeaten Berry at Beldon Field this afternoon.

Rita Meissner (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) and Hannah Mae Brown (Pinedale, Wyo./Dunn School) also recorded hat tricks for the Gophers (2-2), who took command by scoring eight of the final nine goals in the first half. The Vikings (4-1) saw their season-opening four-game winning streak come to a close.

Goucher had a consistent edge in possession throughout the contest, aided by a 17-7 disparity in draw controls. Brown controlled 11 of those draws, which is the most in a game for a Gopher since Whitney Groseclose also managed 11 against Frostburg State in April, 2005.

Once they had the ball, the Gophers took advantage of their opportunities. With the score tied at 1 after the game's first 10 minutes, Meissner gave Goucher a lead it would not relinquish. Reifsnyder and Perry quickly followed with goals on the next two possessions, and the Gophers slowly increased their margin for the remainder of the half.

With three seconds remaining, Emily Lindsay (Silver Spring, Md./James Hubert Blake) netted her first career collegiate goal, taking a pass from Brown and firing a shot past Viking goalie Taylor Martin. That tally made it 9-2 heading into the intermission.

Goucher increased its dominance after the break. The Gophers held Berry to five shots in the final 30 minutes, while also committing just four turnovers. They came up with the first nine draw controls of the half, scoring goals on eight of those possessions. Dani McCreary (Upper Marlboro, Md./Bishop McNamara) scored the first two of those goals, picking up her first two markers of the season after totaling just one as a freshman.

As a team, Goucher had only three assists in the first three games. That total shot up to 10 after a seven-assist effort today, aided by a career-high five from Reifsnyder. She is the first Gopher to dish out five helpers since Becca Smith had six against West Virginia Wesleyan on April 27, 2011.

Perry led the team on both sides of the ball, finishing with five ground balls and three caused turnovers in addition to her four goals. Reifsnyder added five ground balls, four draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers.

Anneke Ossorio (Lafayette, Colo./Kent Denver School) chipped in two goals to round out the scoring for Goucher, while Emily Gill (White Hall, Md./North Harford) made five saves in goal. The Gophers outshot Berry by a 29-16 margin, and they had a 20-16 edge in ground balls.

Goucher looks to move back over .500 this Saturday when the Gophers travel to Shenandoah for a 1 p.m. matchup. The teams last squared off in March of 2012, with Goucher coming away with a tight 10-8 victory.