GLASSBORO, N.J. – The Ursinus College Field Hockey Team battled throughout the afternoon but were unable to find the equalizer, falling to No. 3 Rowan 1-0 on Friday in their season opener.
 
The Profs opened the contest with three consecutive shots as each was denied including a block from the Bears defense. Much of the first period was a battle in the midfield as Rowan closed out the opening frame with back-to-back shots resulting in saves for sophomore goalkeeper Adriana Palladinetti. During the opening minute of the second quarter, junior Mary Lauren Franz earned the first scoring opportunity for the Bears at the 15:47-mark. After creating a turnover, Franz dribbled past a defender and created a scoring opportunity in front of the net, but her shot was saved resulting in a penalty corner. The Bears were unable to convert on the penalty corner after a pass was intercepted by the Profs defense. With under five minutes remaining in the first half on a Rowan corner opportunity, junior captain Maeve Montgomery came through with a defensive save to keep the score tied at zero. The initial shot was blocked by Palladinetti, but the rebound attempt snuck past finding the stick of Montgomery in front of the net. The Bears ended the second period with three consecutive shots from junior Amanda Groeling and sophomores Rachel Buono and Gigi Testa, but Rowan's Aida Ingram saved each opportunity.
 
The Profs broke through midway into the third period as Vanessa DiDonato connected on a scoring chance to give Rowan a 1-0 lead with 7:52 remaining in the stanza. Moments later, the Bears received a penalty corner but were unable to find the equalizer. In the fourth period, Ursinus earned back-to-back chances to tie the contest as Franz and first-year Kirsten Johnson each fired shots on net but were denied by the Profs defense. With 5:42 remaining in the contest, Franz snuck between two defenders creating a one-on-one opportunity as her shot deflected off the goalkeeper towards Johnson. After collecting the rebound, Johnson lifted a shot on goal but was deflected by the Profs. Senior midfielder Ellie Bruggeman was credited with the final shot of the contest as the Rowan defense stood tall earning the 1-0 victory.
 
Each team was credited with a total of nine shots while Ursinus held a 7-6 edge in penalty corners and a 7-5 advantage in shots on target. For the Bears defense, Palladinetti collected three saves in her collegiate debut, meanwhile Rowan's Aida Ingram earned the victory in goal collecting seven saves in route to her first career shutout. Franz paced the Bears offense with a total of three shots, including two on goal, while first-years Marie Brainard and Kirsten Johnson each were credited with shots on target in collegiate debuts.  
 
Ursinus returns to action on Sunday, September 3rd as they host No. 20th William Smith College at 12 p.m. for their 2023 home opener.