adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
YOUNG Zimbabwean female hockey player Rachel Goromonzi is scoring for fun in the United States. Goromonzi, who is now a second year student at Limestone College in South Carolina, bagged a hat-trick in her side’s 3-1 win over Mercy on Sunday, just a day after she also scored in their 4-1 defeat of Dowling at Brookhaven in New York.
That score on Saturday at Brookhaven made her the NCAA Division Two women’s field hockey programme’s all-time leader in points with 66, a mark achieved over the course of just two years and five games.
Goromonzi surpassed the previous career points record of Sara Parker (64), set from 2009-12. And after having found the back of the board once on Saturday, Goromonzi was again in the Limestone’s starting at Dobbs Ferry in New York 24 hours later and was on fire, grabbing a hat-trick as they beat Mercy 3-1.
According to reports from Dobbs Ferry, playing their second of three games in as many days, Limestone made sure there was no let down as they accounted for Mercy 3-1 on Sunday.
It took very little time for the Saints offense to assert itself as junior attack Goromonzi, a former Watershed College pupil in Marondera, Zimbabwe, delivered the first of her three goals just 4:53 in off a pass from junior midfielder Casey Werkheiser.
That 1-0 lead would last only until the 16:28 mark when the Mavericks’ Danielle Jones converted on a penalty stroke to tie the game. It wouldn’t stay that way long as, less than a minute later, Goromonzi broke away from the defence and raced downfield to beat the ‘keeper one-on-one for her second goal of the game. Limestone would then take that 2-1 lead into the half after holding down Mercy’s offense for the remaining 17-plus minutes.
In the second half, it would be Goromonzi again as she took a pass from senior midfielder Brittany Zimmerman and rifled it past the keeper for a little breathing room at 3-1 with 46:50 gone by. That margin would be all the Saints would need as they made it stand up during the final 23 minutes to move to 5-1 on the season.
That victory puts Limestone in line to equal the best start in program history — 6-1 to open the 2011 season. Goromonzi delivered her third career hat-trick and equaled the second most goals (three) and points (six) in a single game in programme history. She was joined offensively by Werkheiser and Zimmerman with an assist each.
Senior goalkeeper Lindsay Hinton produced another stellar effort as she allowed just the one goal and made seven saves in 70 minutes of action to move to 5-1 on the year.
Danielle Jones scored the lone goal for the Mavericks while Kristen Znaniecki surrendered all three goals and made 10 saves in 70 minutes of work in goal.
On Saturday, playing their first game as a ranked team, No. 7 Limestone did not disappoint as they picked up a convincing 4-1 win over first-year Dowling in another NCAA Division II field hockey game.
The Saints got on the board first as junior midfielder Casey Werkheiser notched an unassisted score at the 12:41 mark to make it 1-0. Nine minutes later, freshman midfielder Briton Kate Norman found Zimbabwean Goromonzi in front of the cage for the second goal of the game, this one coming at 21:58.
And that goal made Goromonzi the programme’s all-time leader in points with 66. After taking that 2-0 margin into the break, Limestone kept rolling offensively in the second half as freshman Stembeni Zhanda, a midfielder from Zimbabwe, took a pass from sophomore midfielder Brittany Carney and converted for the Saints’ third goal at 40:36.
Senior attack Tyller Butler capped the Saints scoring with an unassisted goal at 57:12 and the Golden Lion’s Sarah Shams-Kollar notched Dowling’s only goal at the 65:47 mark to reach the final margin of 4-1.
Butler, Goromonzi, Werkheiser and Zhanda all had solo goals to lead Limestone while Norman had the only assist to wrap up the offensive production.
Senior goalkeeper Lindsay Hinton played the full 70 minutes in goal, allowing just the one goal and making one save. The Saints defence allowed the Golden Lions just two shots on goal throughout the course of the game.
Online Reporter