The SPS Big Red traveled to Groton to take on the Zebras in a thrilling battle of the defenses. The first half saw a total of only 3 goals. Groton scored first, just over a minute into the game on a nice challenge from the top of the fan. 2 minutes later Meg Bohan '25 answered with a goal off a free position. Both defenses came up with several stops and the first quarter ended tied 1-1. About 5 minutes into the second quarter, Groton scored to go ahead by one. This was the only goal in the second quarter as the defenses continued to battle it out. 
 
Meg Bohan started the second half scoring with a free position goal, 5 minutes into the third quarter that tied the game at 2. Groton answered with 2 goals in the next 3 minutes to go up by 2. With 48 seconds left in the third quarter, Hadley Cepiel '24 buried a free position shot to cut Groton's lead in half. In the fourth quarter, captain Sam Moyer '24 forced a turnover on the ride, scooped up the groundball, and capitalized on a breakaway on the goalie, tying the game at 4. 3 minutes later, Gretta White '25 passed the ball to Parker Hansen inside the 8. Parker handled the ball well, avoided several checks from crashing defenders, and snuck the ball past the Groton goalie to give SPS their first lead of the game with 4 minutes and 27 seconds left. 
 
The Big Red then went into a stall, looking to kill off the last few minutes of the game. With about 45 seconds left, due to strong pressure from the Groton defense, coaches released the Big Red offense from the stall, hoping to score a game-icing goal. The Groton goalie made a spectacular save and sent the ball down the field, giving Groton one more opportunity to tie the game. The Big Red defense came up with one final stop, time expired, and SPS clinched a 5-4 win on the road. Low defender Cami Bell '24 was pivotal in the success of the Big Red defense as she marked Groton's top offensive player the entire game and held her to only one goal. The defense played with patience, toughness, and grit, winning a tough battle for the Big Red. SPS heads into long weekend with big smiles having earned a few days' rest. SPS returns to the field next Saturday to take on Lake Region rival New Hampton in a rematch of last year's league championship game.