'Ok, I got hit in the face, I can get over it,' Lower Dauphin's Lily Rost on scoring the game-winner against West Perry field hockey

Ask Lower Dauphin head field hockey coach Erin Catalfano who stood out for the Falcons in their away game against West Perry, and she nearly names all the athletes who played. 

"Vic Kutz had a phenomenal game for us in the center, both defensively and on attack," Catalfano said after the 2-1 win. "I would say, Dani Murphy really turned it on, come the second half. I would say Lizzie [Day]. Lizzie is one of the reserves off the bench and she was a huge, huge difference-maker for us, especially as a forward recovering back on defense and stopping what could have been big plays for West Perry. Kai [Killian], making that save on the stroke, that was huge. So, I could name basically everyone on the field." 

Don't forget Chase Strohm, Grace Peterson, Alexa Lehman, and the list goes on and on. 

Lower Dauphin and West Perry both play in District 3 in the Mid-Penn Conference. They are in different divisions. But, both rosters are full of athletes who (a majority) play together during the off season for PA Revolution, as well as other Pennsylvania clubs. 

"The intensity and level of skill is probably the best that we have seen all season," Catalfano said. "I think just the competition in general; a lot of the kids know each other. And, they're friends off the field, but they came out really wanting to beat each other. The competition was really high tonight." 

The Mustangs are 17-1 and Lower Dauphin is 15-2. The Falcons play away at Selinsgrove tonight. Lower Dauphin, in Class 3A, is also currently ranked No. 2 in District 3. 

Bishop McDevitt faces off with Boiling Springs this evening. Both teams are in District 3 Class 1A.

Depending on the outcome of the game, West Perry could stay in the second spot or move to third. 

"It was their last regular season game, so we knew they were going to come out really strong," Lower Dauphin senior captain Katelyn Strawser said. "They go all out, especially when they play us. We just wanted to leave it all out there." 

Strawser plays for PA Revs, and so does West Perry's Jordan Byers, Autumn Albright, and Molly Zimmerman, among others. 

"It was definitely a mental battle at times," Strawser said. "Trying not to overthink what they were going to do because we know them so well, but I think we did really well staying composed and keeping a good distance. It's still fun to play them." 

The game was a hardcore back and forth disciplined display of high-level skills. Strawser scored the first goal for the Falcons on a stroke.

It was the only stroke to drop all night out of the three called. Killian stopped West Perry's Zimmerman, and Strawser's second stroke hit the post. 

"Prepares us really well for the postseason," Strawser said. "I think that was the fastest we ever had to pass the ball. That's what we talked about at halftime was that really fast receive and release right away." 

Albright was feisty throughout all 60 minutes. As a defender, she played very high into the attack 25 to support the Mustangs midfielders and offense. West Perry's fitness was seen throughout each line, as the pace was super fast, but none of the athletes showed an ounce of quit. 

Albright deflected a top of the corner hit from Byers, which got by Killian in the cage. She evened things up shortly after Strawser's stroke in the second quarter. 

In the first half, Falcon freshman Lily Rost was ready to score for her team, but West Perry's keeper Marty Morrison cleared the ball into her face (unintentionally).

She kicked the ball, but it caught slight air. Rost was low to tip or deflect and had the unfortunate timing of being hit. 

"I'm feeling good now," Rost said after the game. "I didn't realize, I got hit in the face, I didn't realize it. It was shock. I came off the field saw the blood, was a little freaked out. I got lucky." 

With adrenaline running high for Rost, she said she didn't think twice about being timid. She wanted back in to help her team, she said. 

"West Perry's been undefeated," Rost said. "We really, like, it's a big deal to play them. We want to keep on winning. We know they're a good team. I felt like I really had to go back in. It sucks to sit out. And, I just like, just thought, 'ok, I got hit in the face, I can get over it'." 

When she went back onto the field, she said of the game: "After that I was like, what is happening, it was really an all over the place game. It was so intense with everybody. I was thinking, we got this." 

Rost said the clear that connected with her face, "It was a great save."

She then went on to challenge Morrison again on a corner to earn the game-winner for the Falcons squeezing it in at post. 

As the postseason starts to take shape, West Perry's head coach Wendy Byers only had positive things to say. 

"I was so proud of my girls. That's what I told them after the game. Lower Dauphin ran out and celebrated that win because we made them work hard for that win. And, so, I told them, you keep your heads up, you keep playing the way that you've been playing. We can go far in the postseason. I was so excited for my goalie. We all gave her a hug. Every single one of those kids --- she hasn't seen action like that." 

She continued: "I thought for not having any of that all season. She had a phenomenal game. She performed great. They really are a tight-knit group back there. They were under a lot of pressure, and honestly, they needed that right before postseason. It was great to have that before having it down the road. When you're going and playing one of the best teams in the state, we could have played a lesser team and won. It was much better going into this and learning and being a better hockey player than playing a team and beating them 5-nothing." 

Photo: Lower Dauphin at West Perry, Jana Benscoter