COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The No. 13 Ursinus Field Hockey team gave No. 3 Rowan all it could handle before ultimately falling 2-1 in the 2022 season opener on a beautiful Thursday night at the Snell Alumnae Field.
 
 
The Profs had two good scoring chances just 30 seconds into the game before Bears senior goalkeeper Jordan Ulsh turned both aside. Ursinus countered with pressure a minute later and nearly got on the scoreboard, but a redirect from senior Laura Rothschild off a corner went off the left post and was cleared out. Ulsh saved back-to-back shots from a Rowan corner in the fourth minute and the Bears cashed in on one of their own a minute later when senior Lauren Weaver recorded her first collegiate goal to give Ursinus a 1-0 lead. Rothschild found Weaver open in the left circle from the corner and she beat the Profs goalkeeper on the left side of the net.
 
 
Rowan began to turn the tide of the game in the second quarter as they held a commanding 10-0 edge in shots. Ulsh continued to come up big for the Bears as she made two saves and survived a pair of shots that went wide of the cage.
 
 
The Profs turned up the pressure again to start the third quarter and drew three penalty corners in the first three minutes. They finally cashed in on the third one when Julia Patrone beat Ulsh in similar fashion to Weaver's goal against Rowan. The Bears recorded their first shot since the first quarter in the final minute when Weaver had a shot from a penalty corner saved. Ulsh also turned aside three shots in the span of 44 seconds during the 38th minute to send the game tied into the fourth quarter. The constant pressure from Profs broke the tie with just 5:13 left in regulation when Bridget Guinan scored after getting time to position herself for the shot. Ursinus had one last chance after drawing a penalty corner with 13 seconds left, but the Bears were unable to get a shot off.
 
 
Rowan held a sizable 30-5 edge in shots and a 17-2 edge in shots on goal. The Profs also held a slight 8-5 edge in penalty corners. Ulsh registered a career-high 15 saves in a valiant effort in the cage for the Bears despite the loss. Amanda Hainsworth earned the win for the Profs after making one save in the full 60 minutes.
 
 
The Bears return to action on Sunday, September 4th as they will travel to face William Smith at 12 p.m.