GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — In its first road game of the 2026 campaign, the ESU field hockey team picked up a 2–1 win over Adelphi on Saturday afternoon.
NOTABLES
- Senior forward Rylie McGrath has opened the season on a tear, scoring again for the Warriors. She got ESU on the board first, and fifth-year back Bella Viruet put them ahead for good with her second tally of the year.
- Both goals for ESU were assisted, as fifth-year midfielder Elaiana Rivera-Lagalla and junior midfielder Maddie Moline picked up assists.
- Senior goalkeeper Jet Vermeulen came in at halftime, shutting Adelphi out over the final 30 minutes. She picked up her second win of the season to improve to 2-0 while making five saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Adelphi broke the scoreless tie 11 minutes in, as back Lana Mignon De Wet got her fourth goal of the season off an assist from forward Jena Geels. However, the Warriors responded right away, as Rivera-Lagalla connected with McGrath. For the forward, it was her fourth goal of the season and ninth point overall, while Rivera-Lagalla had already racked up five assists.
- Vermeulen came in after halftime and was tested immediately by a flurry of Panther shots. She shut down one shot by forward Caroline Beakes and two from forward Sydney Flores in the third quarter's opening minutes to preserve the tie.
- Late in the frame, the Warriors were pressing for the go-ahead goal, drawing two penalty corners. Moline had a look that was stopped by goalkeeper Tayla Szmak, but the Panthers weren't out of the woods yet. ESU got another corner, with junior back Megan Rafter taking the next corner. This time, Viruet found the back of the net off a Moline assist, putting the Warriors ahead with 1:08 left in the third quarter.
- ESU didn't sit back and defend in the final 15 minutes; they pressed for an insurance goal and got more looks than the Panthers did to tie the game. ESU outshot Adelphi 9-3 and led in corners 6-2 in the fourth quarter. In the end, ESU held on to improve to 4-0 and start its weekend road trip across the Northeast with a 2-1 win.
UP NEXT
The Warriors head north to Bentley, taking on the Falcons tomorrow afternoon to complete their two-game weekend. The game will start at 1 p.m. from Waltham, Mass.
