GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 20 Ursinus Field Hockey team dropped a 4-1 contest to No. 5 Messiah on the road Wednesday night in non-conference action.
 
 
Messiah initially got on the board in the sixth minute of the first quarter after sustained pressure that began with a penalty corner attempt. Ursinus started the second quarter strong and nearly got on the board just over a minute into the quarter when sophomore Rachel Buono sent a shot off the post. However, the Bears cashed in off another corner just 10 seconds later when sophomore Gigi Testa scored off a deflection from a shot by Buono to tie the game at one. The teams traded a few scoring chances in the second quarter before the Falcons pulled back ahead at 2-1 in the 24th minute with a goal.
 
 
The Bears ripped two shots on the Falcons net early in the third quarter that were both saved. Unfortunately for the Bears, Messiah extended their lead on their first shot of the second half in the 38th minute. The Falcons nearly got one more in the 42nd minute after getting back-to-back shots in front of the net that were both turned away by Ursinus sophomore goalkeeper Adriana Palladinetti. The Bears were given a penalty stroke in the 48th minute, but sophomore Lauren Breisch sent her shot just wide of the net. Messiah ultimately put the game away with their fourth and final goal of the game with just over five minutes left in regulation.
 
 
Messiah held a slight 15-14 edge in shots, a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal, and an 8-7 edge in penalty corners. Palladinetti made four saves in the full 60 minutes while Messiah goalkeeper Catie Brubaker tallied seven.
 
 
Ursinus returns to action on Saturday, September 16th as they will host Albright at 10:00 a.m. in non-conference action.