COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The 17th-ranked Ursinus College Field Hockey team showcased a tremendous offensive outing earning a 5-0 shutout victory over Gettysburg College on Saturday afternoon celebrating Senior Day.
With the victory, Ursinus improved to 9-4 overall and 5-2 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, Gettysburg falls to 10-5 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. The Bears celebrated five seniors on the afternoon as
Amanda Groeling,
Mary Lauren Franz,
Bridget Wappman,
Eliza Donaldson, and
Maeve Montgomery were recognized prior to the game for their dedication and commitment to the Field Hockey program over the last four seasons.
Ursinus jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before halftime as sophomore
Kirsten Johnson, Franz, and sophomore
Marie Brainard each tallied scores. Meanwhile, stellar defensive play and goals from Groeling and junior
Gigi Testa in the second half lifted Ursinus to the victory. In goal, junior netminder
Adriana Palladinetti recorded her second shutout of the season behind three saves.
The Bears maintained much of the early possession, before earning the opening penalty corner opportunity at the 6:15-mark of the first period. On the corner, Johnson inserted the pass towards Montgomery at the top of the circle. After a touch, Montgomery fired a shot towards the left post where Johnson was waiting and tipped it in for the score. The Bullets responded with a pair of shots, but each were denied by Palldinetti and the Bears defense as Ursinus entered the second period leading 1-0.
Just two minutes into the second stanza, Gettysburg nearly tied the contest at one apiece, but a stellar defensive save from Montgomery kept Ursinus ahead by one. With 10:35 remaining in the half, Testa received a pass along the near sideline and dribbled inside the circle to the front of the cage. Testa found Franz in front as the senior forward took a step back and sent a shot past the Bullets defense to give Ursinus a 2-0 lead. Just two minutes later, Franz drove past a Bullet defender, towards the front of the cage and sent a pass along the crease finding Brainard for a score. The Bears held Gettysburg to just two shots over the remainder of the period and held a 3-0 lead at the halftime break.
The Bears carried the momentum into the second half as they recorded the four shots of the period, until Testa broke through with a goal to extend the Bears lead to four. For Testa, it marks her sixth goal of the season and third consecutive game with a score. After a Gettysburg turnover, Testa capitalized off a rebound shot from Franz and fired a shot on goal towards the right post for the score. The Bears final score came at the 48:23-mark of the fourth period as Johnson assisted Groeling for a score to put Ursinus ahead by five. On the corner, Johnson saved a pass from heading out of bounds and sent a pass along the crease finding Groeling for the tip in goal. The Bears defense closed out the second half allowing just two shots from the Bullets en route to the victory.
The Bears held a 15-8 advantage in shots, a 13-4 lead in shots on goal, and a 7-4 advantage in penalty corner opportunities. Gettysburg's netminder Emilia Saccento suffered the loss collecting eight saves over 60 minutes of action.
The Bears return to action on Wednesday, October 23rd as they host Haverford College for a 7pm start from Snell Alumnae Field.
