PHILADELPHIA, PA - In the final home game of the 2006 season, the La Salle Explorer field hockey team competed until the very end, claiming a 3-2 victory over the West Chester Golden Rams after two rounds of penalty strokes at Hank DeVincent Field. The Explorers improve to 7-12 overall and finish Atlantic 10 conference play with a 3-4 record, while the Golden Rams drop to 2-16 overall and 0-7 in the conference.

It was La Salle senior Amy Comstock who got the scoring started at the 6:27 mark of the contest. The Explorers were looking strong to take a 1-0 lead into the break, but with 1:43 remaining, West Chester's Shelly Brooks got help from Jessica Nellis and Sara Conrad on a penalty corner to knot the score at 1-1.

After the intermission, the teams got back to business and despite out shooting the Golden Rams 10-4 in the second half, it took La Salle until the 56:18 mark of the game to break the tie when freshman Kara Harpel knocked in a goal to put the Explorers up 2-1. With time running out, it look again as if the Explorers would end a half on a winning note, but West Chester's Michelle Hand scored an unassisted goal with 42 seconds to play in regulation to force the overtime.

After two scoreless overtime periods, the teams went to a penalty stroke shoot out. In the first round, each team had three players score. It was tin the second round that La Salle broke away, knocking in two shots to West Chester's zero. It was Caitlin Conk who nailed the first shot to get the gamewinner.

The Explorers out shot the Golden Rams 21-8 for the contest and earned a 6-5 advantage in penalty corners.

In goal, Ellen Axelsen tallied six saves and West Chester's Joelle Zarefoss posted 18.

The Explorers will close out the 2006 season on Sunday, October 29th when they take on the Delaware Blue Hens in Newark at 12:00 p.m.