With the score tied and time slipping away, Washington Township needed someone to step up yesterday at Shawnee in a fiercely fought South Group 4 field hockey quarterfinal.

Washington Township junior forward Lindsey Hatch rose to the challenge.

After two shots were rejected by Shawnee goalkeeper Marlee Silverstein on a penalty corner insert, Hatch drilled a ball into the net from close range with 12 minutes, 13 seconds left in the game.

The Minutemaids had their second lead, 2-1, and the score held for the victory over Shawnee (17-3-1), seeded fourth in the tournament.

Washington Township (17-2), the No. 5 seed, is scheduled to play either top-seeded Southern Regional or eighth-seeded Egg Harbor Township tomorrow at the higher seed's home field.

"Someone hit the ball into the goalie, it rebounded, I hit it to the post," Hatch said. "We stepped it up a lot in the second half."

Township hustled after coach Jeannine O'Connor called a time-out with 14:19 left to chastise her players for being outplayed and not executing the basics.

"At this point in the season with 14 minutes left, it's about digging down, what you have left," O'Connor said. "We had kids who were struggling.

"That was the ugliest, biggest win we've had. We didn't have too many shots, and Shawnee had a great game plan."

The Minutemaids had only three shots on goal and one penalty corner in the second half. They had only seven shots in a game whose pace was dictated by tenacious, hard-hitting defense on both sides.

Shawnee also struggled offensively, with 10 shots and eight penalty corners, one of which paid off with 12:13 remaining in the second half.

After the insert, Shawnee's Emily Arnot took a pass from Hannah Bartholomew and tapped the ball into the net past Washington Township goalie Brianna Shea to tie the score, 1-1.

"We were really pumped after that, and we knew that we could do it from that point. But we just got one shot in," Arnot said.

"It's disappointing. But we all know that we tried our best. They were a good team, and we put up a good fight."

Township senior midfielder Stephanie Cleary scored the first goal 2:17 into the game after she stopped a free hit by Laura Rose and slapped the ball to the right of Silverstein.

"It was really cool; I never scored before," said Cleary, who had played defense before this season.

Shawnee coach Renee Phelps said she wanted her players to keep the ball wide, because two of Township's best players - Lisa Patrone and Rose - were in the middle.

Rose, Hatch and Sarah Jackson scored for Township on Oct. 23 in a 3-0 win over Shawnee in an Olympic Conference interdivisional game.

Washington Twp. 1 1 - 2

Shawnee 0 1 - 1

Goals: WT – Stephanie Cleary, Lindsay Hatch. S – Emily Arnot.

Saves: WT – Brianna Shea 7. S – Marlee Silverstein 4.