Gophers Score Three Unanswered in Win over Blazers

FREDERICK, Md. — After finding itself in an early deficit despite controlling the run of play, Goucher stormed back with three unanswered goals to get back in the win column with a 3-1 victory over Hood this afternoon.

Goals from Colleen McCawley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and Gaby Davis (New York, N.Y./LaGuardia) put the Gophers (3-4-1) in front before halftime, and Stephanie Budrock (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) added an insurance strike early in the second half to put the game out of reach.

Goucher, which outshot the Blazers 16-4 in the contest, will now take momentum into its Landmark opener against Moravian at Beldon Field this weekend.

"This was a total team effort for us today," head coach Tati Korba said. "We did what we had to do to get the win. I give a ton of credit to the team for their effort and focus today with a big conference game coming up. We are looking forward to Saturday."

Hood (2-6-2) grabbed the lead in the 22nd minute on its first shot of the match. Alyssa Nubgaard had the ball bounce her way off a free kick, and she directed it into an open net from the far post.

The Gophers responded six minutes later, with McCawley heading Davis' corner kick past Blazer goalie Alexis Andrukat for the second goal of her collegiate career and first tally this season.

Davis took another corner kick seven minutes before intermission, and this time her effort eluded everyone, including Andrukat, and slipped into the back of the net for her first goal of 2014.

Kai Karrasch (San Francisco, Calif./The Bay School of San Francisco), making her first start of the season, nearly added another goal less than a minute later, but her line drive shot from the top of the box was sent just wide. Goucher had an 11-2 shots advantage in the first half.

The Gophers continued their pressure once play resumed, and they were rewarded with a third goal in the 61st minute. A charging Brianna Hite (Port Republic, Md./Calvert) forced Hood's defender to attempt to clear the ball out of the box, but it was sent straight to Budrock on the left side, who deposited a shot into an open goal for her second strike of the year.

The Blazers were held without a shot on goal for the remainder of the match. Juliana Harkavy (Memphis, Tenn./Ridgeway) needed to make only one save to register the win in goal, while Lindsey Puopolo (Glen Arm, Md./St. Timothy's) fired a game-high five shots.

Goucher now looks ahead to a 1 p.m. home matchup with the Greyhounds on Saturday. The two teams battled to a 3-3 draw to conclude the 2013 regular season.