Ledeboer Nets Hat Trick in Under Ten Minutes in Eagles Romp Over Gaters

Meadville, Pa.- The Juniata field hockey team got off to a rollicking start as they won convincingly to open the season at Alleghany, 7-1, Friday afternoon.

Tess Ledeboer led the way with three goals and an assist, while Kaylin Walters added two goals. Mallory Prince and Caitlin Steffie had a goal and an assist apiece, while Lillian Case contributed a pair of assists. Colleen Creneti and Sierra Rossman each had one assist. Amanda Puza got the win in goal for the Eagles, making four saves. 

Three minutes into the game, Jane Corbin played the ball into Steffie on a corner, who played the ball in from the left side of the circle. The ball went through a mass of people in front of the goal and found Ledeboer at the back post, who pushed it past the keeper to give the Eagles the lead. 

A few minutes later, Creneti got the ball in a pocket of space on the left side of the circle before playing the ball towards goal. Ledeboer popped the ball into the top right corner of the goal to double the Juniata lead.  

Three minutes later, Prince got the ball inside the circle with her back to the cage. She turned and chipped the ball towards the goal, and who else but Ledeboer knocked it out of the air into the cage to complete her hat trick. 

The Gators scored in the final minute of the first quarter as JC led 3-1 after one. 

Juniata was awarded a penalty stroke midway through the second, sent the keeper the wrong way, and slotted the ball into the right lower corner.  

A minute later, Ledeboer tapped the ball over to Case at the top of the circle, who found Steffie near goal. Steffie beat the keeper to make it 5-1 at halftime.  

Three minutes into the third, Case played the ball from the right side of the circle, and Prince tapped it in as the Eagle offense continued to thrive. 

Rossman set up Walters in the final 11 minutes of the game to complete the scoring. 

The win is the biggest margin of victory for a season opener in program history, the biggest margin of victory in any game since 2019 (6-0 W vs Goucher 10/12), and the most goals scored in a game since 2017 (10/7 vs Drew 8-0 W).  

Juniata will return to action tomorrow to take on SUNY Brockport at 2:00 PM.