GLENSIDE, Pa. - Senior Sydney Cyr recorded a season-high four points with a goal and a pair of assists to lead the Arcadia University field hockey team to a pivotal Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth victory Wednesday night over visiting Alvernia, 4-3. The Knights held a three-goal lead late in the third quarter but surrendered a pair of Golden Wolf tallies to shrink the lead to one, but the Arcadia defense stood tall in the fourth - turning away a pair of shots and six penalty corners - to come away with the victory.

Lauren Dougherty and Isabelle Houser each logged a goal and an assist to go along with Adera Ahern's first-quarter tally. Ashton Evans made four saves in the cage to pick up the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights were first on the board just 62 seconds in the game as the first Arcadia penalty corner resulted in a goal. The ball was cycled around to Sydney Cyr who then offered a shot on net that was deflected high into the air and batted into the back of the cage by Ahern for the game's first goal.

-Alvernia provided the equalizer with five minutes remaining in the first quarter on a penalty stroke, but the Knights responded in the final seconds of the opening period to regain the lead when Dougherty's penalty corner made its way to Cyr who then found Dougherty on the left side of the cage and beat the keeper at the far post.

-Nearly four minutes into the second quarter, Dougherty took the first Knight penalty corner of the period and found Isabelle Houser out on the edge who then turned and lifted a high-arcing shot over the head of the goalie and into the cage to extend the Arcadia lead to two. The Knights held the Golden Wolves to one shot in the second quarter to take the same two-goal advantage into the break.

-Cyr opened the second-half scoring off the Knights' first penalty corner, Houser took the offering from Dougherty who then swung it around to Cyr and buried it in the lower left corner of the cage. Alvernia answered back with a pair of man-up scores in the final three minutes of the quarter to come within a goal of tying the contest at four-all heading into the final 15 minutes of regulation.

-Despite a flurry of Golden Wolf scoring opportunities in the final quarter, the Knights fended off a pair of shots and six penalty corners to cling to their one goal lead and ultimately come away with the 4-3 conference victory.

KNIGHT LEADERS
-Goals: Ahern, Dougherty, Houser, Cyr
-Assists: Cyr 2, Dougherty, Houser
-Points: Cyr 4, Dougherty/Houser 3, Ahern 2
-Saves: Evans 4

TEAM COMPARISON
-The two sides finished the night with eight shots apiece, with Alvernia holding the edge in shots on goal, 7-6.
-Alvernia led the matchup with 12 penalty corners opposite Arcadia's eight.

UP NEXT
Arcadia (6-11, 3-2 MAC Commonwealth) travels to Widener Saturday for a MAC Commonwealth matchup scheduled for noon.