Budrock, Davis Lift Gophers to Senior Day Victory

TOWSON, Md. — A two-goal outburst at the end of the first half helped Goucher leapfrog two teams in the Landmark standings in its final match of the season.

Stephanie Budrock (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) and Gaby Davis (New York, N.Y./LaGuardia) each scored their fourth goals of the season, and the Gophers held on for a 2-1 victory over Susquehanna on Senior Day at Beldon Field. The win moved Goucher past both the Crusaders and Juniata, slotting the team in at sixth place in the conference.

"We are so happy that our seniors could end their careers with a win today," head coach Tati Korba said. "It is a testament to their leadership and dedication that this team hung together this season. They have been instrumental in moving this program forward and in raising the bar for what we expect as a program."

The two teams combined for just one shot in the first 38 minutes of the first half, an effort from Susquehanna's Alyssa Bolger which was sent high at 11:47.

The Gophers, though, made their first two shots count. Davis directed a pass to Budrock on the left side, and the sophomore forward curled a shot into the top right corner to break the deadlock in the 39th minute.

That marker briefly allowed her to take sole possession of the team lead for the season. Less than three minutes later, however, Davis matched her season output, taking a long ball from Lindsey Puopolo (Glen Arm, Md./St. Timothy's) and blasting a shot into the upper left-hand corner to double Goucher's advantage.

Puopolo nearly tacked on a third goal 21 seconds later, but her shot was sent slightly over the crossbar.

The Crusaders (6-11-2, 1-5-1 Landmark) had three shots in the final three minutes of the half, but one was high and two others were stopped by Lexi Rudolph (Kensington, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel).

Rudolph made two more stops in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Susquehanna broke the shutout on a tally from Samantha Zuponcic in the 57th minute.

The Crusaders ended up with 13 of the match's 15 second half shots, but the best other scoring opportunity came from Budrock in the 81st minute. Led in by Lexi Solazzo (Tolland, Conn./Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts) on a mini-breakaway, she fired a low shot which bounced off the left post and back into the field of play.

Rudolph made three additional saves after that chance, bringing her game total to a career-high 10, and the Gophers (5-11-1, 2-5 Landmark) sealed a second-straight conference win to end 2014.

Goucher has now defeated Susquehanna in each of the team's last three matchups.

Prior to the opening kickoff, seniors Puopolo, Maeve Downey (West Baldwin, Maine/Sacopee Valley), Colleen McCawley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and Staci Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y./Pleasantville) were honored for their contributions to the program. All four were slotted into the starting lineup for their last match at Beldon Field.