Lafayette Hill, Pa. - (3/2/2019) – Chestnut Hill College went head-to-head with Millersville University in today's nail biting home opener at Victory Field #1. Both teams put forth a competitive performance, but it was a pair of clutch plays by senior goalkeeper Valeria Amaya (Oakland, Calif.) and senior midfielder Julia Reinert (Bridgeport, Pa.) in the final minutes that secured the Griffins a 12-11 win. Reinert led the Scarlet and Gold to victory with five goals, while Amaya (1-1) made a sterling 16 saves.
 
Millersville University (1-2) held the early 2-0 (27:22) lead over Chestnut Hill College (1-1), but back-to-back goals from Reinert (1-2, 27:10) and junior midfielder Mary Kroppe (Wyomissing, Pa.) evened the score, 2-2, just before the 25-minute mark (25:03). The Marauders briefly reclaimed the lead with a goal at 17:33 (3-2), but the advantage was short lived as the Griffins outscored the visitors 3-1 over the remainder of the period to control a 5-4 halftime edge.
 
Reinert opened the second period with her third tally (6-4, 28:10), giving the Griffins in a promising two-goal, 6-4, advantage. Unfortunately, a three-goal Marauder run returned Millersville University to a 7-6 (25:56) lead before alternating two-goal runs left them with a 9-8 (17:11) edge. An unassisted, man-up goal from junior midfielder Spencer Fitzgerald (Huntingtown, Md.) knotted the contest at 9-9 (15:05), but the stalemate was broken a little more than three minutes later (11:42), 10-9. It was a free position goal from junior attack Haley Norwillo (Duryea, Pa.) that began the Griffins march to victory, 10-10 (10:33). With the contest tied again at 10-10, Reinert was the Scarlet and Gold champions, scoring two consecutive goals (11-10, 4:46) (12-10, 3:50) to give Chestnut Hill College a two-goal, 12-10, separation. Still, Millersville University did not let up, sinking another shot at 2:54 (12-11) and attempting to score another only to be denied by Amaya (1:13) and fire wide (0:54, 0:26) before committing a turnover in the closing seconds (0:08); Reinert secured the win, recovering the final loose ball.
 
Sophomore midfielder Genevieve Speights (Shrewsbury, Pa.) led Millersville University with four goals, two assists, and three ground balls. Freshman midfielder Grace Cobaugh (Collegeville, Pa.) and sophomore midfielder Gillian Zimmerman (New Park, Pa.) contributed two goals each, while three other Marauders chipped in one goal apiece. Cobaugh added an assist, four ground balls, three draws, and three caused turnovers to her tallies. Meanwhile Zimmerman complimented hers with three ground balls, two draws, and two caused turnovers. In goal, senior Shannon Davis (Crofton, Md.) (1-2) recorded five saves and a ground ball.
 
Along with her five goals, Reinert also recorded four ground balls, seven draw controls, and three caused turnovers. Norwillo supported with three goals, an assist, and a ground ball, while junior attack Dai Pearson (Pottstown, Pa.) (2 goals) and junior midfielder Mary Kroppe (Wyomissing, Pa.) (1), and Fitzgerald (1) added to the final count. Amaya was one save shy of tying her career-high save total; she also recovered five ground balls in the win.
 
Chestnut Hill College continues their non-conference play on Tuesday, March 5, with a 6:30 p.m. contest versus Bloomsburg University.