Royals Lead Scranton Field Hockey to Overtime Wins  

By Bryson Eldridge – Co-Managing-Editor

Scranton Field Hockey wins the first two home games in thrilling fashion behind overtime heroics by Katie Redding and Reagan Dolan.  

Fresh off a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and Landmark championship, the revamped Royals look to continue their success. 
 
In the home opener, the Royals were on the ropes late in the third quarter facing a 1-0 deficit versus Muhlenberg. With 1:18 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Redding zips a shot past the goalkeeper on a penalty corner assisted by Cori Davis to tie the game 1-1. 

After an electric fourth corner which was highlighted by a penalty stroke stop by goalie Clare McGuire the game was heading to overtime. 

McGuire continued her excellence in the cage at the beginning of overtime, turning away three shots from the Muhlenberg attack. The defense was able to advance the ball to the attack for a chance to win the game.  

63 minutes in, Redding lined up for the penalty shot as the Quinn Athletics Campus went quiet. Redding beamed the ball top shelf past the reach of the goalie to clinch the win for the Royals. The stadium was electric with fans, students and family members cheering on the team.  

This was Redding’s first game back since losing her father at the conclusion of last season. Redding dedicated this game to her late father, Kevin Redding.  

“For me it was a special moment. A lot of people knew that this game was going to be a tough one for me. I had a lot of different emotions flooding through me and when I hit that stroke, I knew that is exactly what I needed to do, and I had a little guardian angel with me for it,” Redding said, “Not only did that feel amazing, but also to see how proud my teammates were for me and how supportive they were that day made it all worth it.” 

After a nail-biting road win against Kings College, the Royals returned home for an out of conference match-up versus Arcadia. This game was all about the dynamic of the Knights and the Royals.  

The Knights scored within a minute of the game before Redding scored back-to-back goals in the first quarter for the Royals to give them the lead.  

The Knights made a strong charge scoring two goals within minutes of each other forcing overtime. 

Sophomore Reagan Dolan stepped up after taking a blocked cross from Redding and screamed a ball into the back of the net to win the game for the Royals. The stadium erupted as Dolan was mobbed by her teammates.  

“I saw the entire play in front of me. I watched as Katie led Bridget into the circle, but their goalie charged and made a nice save on her. I knew that if a rebound popped loose, I had to be in a good position to capitalize and get a shot, and that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t even think, I just ripped the ball into the back of the net,” Dolan said. 

Though the Royals came out on the victorious end, leaders Redding and Dolan acknowledge they need to minimize mistakes and take advantage of their strengths.  

“Being able to bounce back or recover quickly is a great trait for a team to have. However, we cannot always rely on late-game heroics. It would be nice to get a lead and keep a lead through consistent offensive pressure and defensive pressure on our opponent,” Dolan said.  

The Royals return to Weiss Field on Sept. 24 to open conference play against Catholic.