COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Junior forward
Mary Lauren Franz scored two goals, lifting the No. 24 Ursinus College Field Hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Ithaca College on Homecoming.
The Bears celebrated four seniors on the afternoon as
Ellie Bruggeman,
Madelyn Cooper,
Tara Starita, and
Regan Horting were recognized prior to the game for their dedication and commitment to the Field Hockey Program.
With the victory, Ursinus improved to 10-7 overall, while the Bombers fell to 13-5 overall. The Bears also clinched the No. 6 seed in the Centennial Conference tournament and will travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Tuesday to square off with No.3 Franklin & Marshall.
The Bears controlled the pace of play early on recording the first six shots of the contest, before the Bombers missed wide at the 10:45-mark of the opening period. First-year
Marie Brainard and Bruggeman each recorded scoring opportunities for Ursinus but were turned away by the Bombers defense. The Bears finally broke through just two minutes into the second stanza, as Brainard assisted Franz on her first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead. Junior defender
Maeve Montgomery forced a Bombers turnover and sent a pass up the near sideline finding Brainard with space outside the circle. Brainard created some space between the defense and found Franz in front of the net, whose one-timer shot sizzled past the Bombers netminder and into the back of the cage. Three minutes later, Cooper tallied her first goal of her career to extend the Bears lead to two. On a penalty corner, Cooper inserted a pass to Montgomery whose initial shot was deflected off the keeper and sent into the air. On the far post, Cooper batted the ball into the back of the cage to give Ursinus the two-goal advantage. Ursinus carried the momentum throughout the second period as the defense did not allow a shot and held a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Ithaca bounced back in the opening minutes of the third stanza scoring back-to-back goals to tie the game at 2-2 with 9:11 remaining in the period. The Bombers first goal was scored by Juliana Valli, while their second goal was awarded on a penalty stroke from Emma Garver. The Bears offense responded with a trio of shots as Montgomery and Franz each had a shot saved by the Bombers goalkeeper. With 36 seconds remaining in the third period, Franz scored her second goal of the game to regain a 3-2 lead for the Bears. After a loose ball within the circle, Franz corralled the rebound and snuck her shot past the keeper for the goal. In the final period, Ursinus controlled the pace of play outshooting the Bombers 5-0 in route to the 3-2 victory.
Ursinus held a 23-4 advantage in shots and a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Palladinetti earned the victory in goal behind just one save, while Ithaca's Alex Clough suffered the loss recording seven saves.
The Bears will return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Lancaster for the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament against Franklin & Marshall.
