BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – The Bryn Athyn College field hockey team led exactly once in its game against New England College Sunday afternoon, but it was at the most important time as Payton Boler converted a penalty stroke 8:19 into overtime to give the Lions a 5-4 victory over the Pilgrims.
The goal capped off a two-goal, one-assist day for the Boler in the victory, the Lions' (1-2) first of the season. Bri Lennox added two goals, while Kyla Rogers scored one time.
Bryn Athyn overcame four one-goal deficits during the course of the afternoon, starting when Sofia Castriotta scoring the Pilgrims' (0-4) first goal at the 8:22 mark. The lead didn't last long as Bryn Athyn charged right down the field and was rewarded with a Lennox goal off of a penalty corner to level the match.
Brittany Tierney made it a 2-1 affair for New England College as she broke in on the Bryn Athyn net and got off a pair of shots. The first shot was turned away from Lion goalie Shelly Drucker—one of her career-high 14 saves—but the rebound came right back to Tierney and she put it into the open net at 11:36.
Lennox came through with another equalizer, rocketing a shot from the top of the arc straight into the net at 12:34 to make the score 2-2.
Taylor Daileanes gave New England College its third lead of the first half at the 20:16 mark with an assist from Anya Owens. Owens was at the left side of the arc and located a wide-open Daileanes at the right post, giving Daileanes an easy tap-in for the goal.
Boler closed out a high-scoring first half and allowed the Lions to go to the break tied at three as she found the loose ball in a scrum and easily shot into the Pilgrim goal with 1:38 left.
Daileanes put the Pilgrims ahead for the final time of the afternoon at the 48:58 mark with a goal that was a carbon copy of her first-half goal. Once again, Owens assisted on the goal.
Rogers sent the match to overtime, the Lions' first-ever overtime game, when she scored on a backhand chip with 9:50 left in regulation.
Bryn Athyn continues its homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 11 with a non-conference game against Bryn Mawr at 7 p.m. on General Ronald K. Nelson Field.