The Eastern Mennonite Royals field hockey team continued their hot streak on Thursday when they defeated the visiting Vixens from Sweet Briar College.  

It was a close match for most of the game until the third period when the Royals broke it open to start the scoring.  

Right before the 34th minute, the Royals got a goal from Morgan Leslie. It was Leslie’s tenth goal of the year which put her in second place in the ODAC for goals scored this season.  

As a first-year, Leslie has made a huge impact on the team. She leads the Royals in goals made and is along the top of the ODAC in goals scored.  

“I have never really thought about making an impact on the team as a first-year or in general but I am glad that I am,” said Leslie.  

In the 38th minute, the Royals scored another goal from Senior Skylar Hedgepeth.  

It was Hedgepeth’s eighth goal of the season.  

All the scoring would  prove to be enough for the Royals while the defense held it down for the remainder of  

the game.  

Goalkeeper Ann Ghally had three saves in the afternoon to go along with having her fifth shutout on the season. Along with Ghally, the other Royals defenders had another impressive outing. The Royals have had shutouts in half of their games this season.  

The Royals head coach Ashley Kishorn was happy with Royal’s performance and saw some positive things from their play.  

“We are a young team, however, we’ve been able to develop good chemistry on the field. Our offensive  

passing combinations have allowed us to pose an attacking threat and score more goals early in the season.  Number 2 Skylar Hedgepeth, who leads the conference in assists and points, has been a big contributing factor to our goalscoring. Number  7 Elizabeth Longacre & number 6 Morgan Leslie are both currently ranked in the conference for goals,” said Kishorn.  

With the Royals’ hot start, there have been a lot of good things going for them. Along with doing a great job scoring goals, EMU’s defense has started to settle in as a unit.  

The Royals took on CNU on Sunday and the defense did a great job allowing only seven goals on 62 shots. Number 24 Brandy Troutman registered three defensive saves. Number 99 Ann Ghally made 26 saves and has become a leader in the cage offering communication and guidance to a young defense.” 

With the Royals heading into conference play this week as they host the Shenandoah Hornets and travel to Lynchburg to take on the Hornets, they look to keep the good play rolling.