NEWS

Sib Naaktgeboren scored the ‘Cats winning goal against Ball State. (photo from earlier this season)

DAVIDSON — Sib Naaktgeboren’s third-quarter goal and some stellar team defense lifted the Davidson field hockey team to a 1-0 victory over Ball State Friday evening at Belk Turf Field.

It’s the first shutout of the year for the Wildcats, who improved to 5-8 and took their win total to the highest it’s been since 2018.

“I thought our attack was just relentless, and we just kept going and kept going and did what it took to finish the job,” said Davidson coach Zoe Almquist. “It was really exciting to see them do that and then stay in and stay smart all the way through the end, so we’re just really excited about today’s result.”

Naaktgeboren scored just 1:13 into the second half, after Adriana Risi passed the ball inside the arc from the right side. Ball State keeper Hannah Johnston stopped Naaktgeboren’s initial up-close attempt, but the sophomore followed it up and found the cage for the fifth time this season.

Naaktgeboren led all players with four shots-on-goal, while Risi had three and Evie Lake had two.

From there, the Wildcats had to fend off a Ball State (5-6) team that features the top scorer in the MAC, Fleur Knopert, among others. Led by keeper Cato Roell, who made a few highlight reel saves, the Wildcats answered each threat.

“We knew they would come in ready to fight, and they have a couple of prolific scorers, so credit to our back field line for shutting it down,” said Almquist, also noting the efforts of Bella Worthington, Brennan Bazant, Sarah Minges, Matilda Collins and Rebecca Bustos in the back. “They played absolutely amazing in that space to take care of it.”