adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
THREE Zimbabwean women field hockey players – Rachel Goromonzi, Rufaro Mushavi and Stembeni Zhanda – completed a memorable season in the United States when they helped their South Carolina-based university side Limestone College to lift the ECAC Division Two League Tournament Championship on Sunday. According to reports from Gaffney in South Carolina, the nationally sixth-ranked Limestone College (17-3) women’s field hockey team rallied with two second half goals to claim the ECAC Division II Field Hockey League Tournament Championship with a 2-1 win over Bellarmine University (11-9) at home on Sunday at Saints Field.
Senior attack Goromonzi from Harare, Zimbabwe, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player while senior defender Rufaro Mushavi, also from Harare, Zimbabwe, sophomore defender Kathleen Sigwart and junior attack Jill Funkhouser were all later named to the All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore attack Zhanda from Harare, Zimbabwe, and junior Brittany Carney both tallied a goal for the Saints while Goromonzi chipped in a pair of assists.
The Blue and Gold finish the year with a perfect 10-0 record at Saints Field.
Trailing 1-0 coming out of the half-time break, Limestone struck for the equaliser in the 40th minute when Zhanda snuck a shot inside the far post for her ninth goal of the year.
Goromonzi provided the assist on the play with a shallow cross in front of the cage.
The Saints then took their first lead of the day in the 66th minute when Carney redirected a pass from Goromonzi off the high circle into the back of the goal, making it a 2-1 game with 4:02 remaining in regulation.
The Knights pulled their goalie in the last 30 seconds and were awarded a penalty corner as time expired, but a foul by Bellarmine on the untimed play ended the game and sent the Saints into celebration.
Limestone held a 5-1 advantage in shots attempted over the first 20 minutes of play and just missed pulling out to a quick 1-0 lead when Goromonzi hit hard off the post in the 14th minute.
A counter-attack in the 28th minute put the Knights in front 1-0 as Amanda Jaworski played the ball forward to Alex Ojeda of the left side of the circle.
Ojeda then fired a laser into the back of the cage to give Bellarmine a half-time lead.
Limestone finished the day with an 11-8 advantage in shots attempted. Both teams recorded 10 penalty corners.
Goromonzi led the Saints with five shots. Freshman keeper Tabria Cochran recorded three saves in the second half to earn the win.
Ojeda paced the Knights with four shots, three of which were on goal. Keeper Lara Williams collected two saves.
Sunday’s victory was the icing on the cake for Goromonzi and Mushavi who were last Wednesday named as the ECAC Division II’s Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of Year respectively after an outstanding season playing for the Saints.
Online Reporter