Box Score BRYN MAWR, Pa. – After earning a NCAA Regional Ranking for the first time in program history earlier in the day, the Bryn Mawr Field Hockey team used three penalty corner goals to knock off visiting Muhlenberg 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Eva Yacura scored a brace off direct shots in the first and fourth and Thekla Jubinville scrapped home a loose ball at the left post in the third to cap the scoring for the Owls, who improve to 6-1 in Centennial Conference play and 12-2 overall. Muhlenberg falls to 3-5 in Centennial play and 5-9 overall.
Bryn Mawr controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, but failed to take a shot on two initial penalty corners in the first seven minutes.
Hazel Miller first tested Muhlenberg goalkeeper Grace Leard in the eighth minute and the Owls took the lead in the 10th, as Yacura fired home Bryn Mawr's third penalty corner of the afternoon just inside the attacking left post.
The remainder of the first half was mostly stalemate, as Bryn Mawr failed to extend their lead despite having most of the ball and outshooting the Mules 8-2 in the first 30 minutes.
The Owls picked up an important insurance goal early in the second half as Maggie Barilla's initial corner swing was deflected high in the air towards Leard, who parried the ball to her right. Miller dove to the turf to keep the ball in play where it deflected to Kate Ervin on the attacking right post. Her bobbled ball across the circle found Jubinville, who hammered the boards for her fifth goal of the season.
But the Mules were resilient and halved their deficit on the counterattack in the 50th minute, as a midfield turnover led to a 4v4 in transition for the visitors. Leading goal-scorer Abba Dilgio corralled the ball off a right-side circle entry between two Owl defenders and tucked home her seventh goal of the season past an oncoming Maggie Titus, who made three saves in the Bryn Mawr net.
Less than 4 minutes later, it was Yacura again putting on the finishing touch as she capped off the Owls' 18th penalty corner with her second goal of the day.
Wednesday proved to be a big day for the Owls program: with the win and losses by Haverford and Ursinus, Bryn Mawr has clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference postseason tournament for the second time in program history.
The Owls defeated Muhlenberg for only the second time since 1996 and have built one of the top season resumes in the region.
After receiving votes in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll in each of the past three weeks, the first time Bryn Mawr has ever appeared in the national poll, the Owls were one of six Region V teams ranked in the initial regional rankings released by the NCAA.
Bryn Mawr is joined by Johns Hopkins, Messiah, Swarthmore, York, and Franklin and Marshall, whom the Owls play next on Saturday at 3 PM.
