COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the 16th-ranked Ursinus College field hockey team by a 2-1 score against No. 22 Rowan University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday evening from Snell Field.
 
 
The Profs advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face top-seeded Tufts University on Saturday morning from Medford, Massachusetts at 11 a.m.
 
 
Ursinus nearly added the opening score during the fourth minute as junior Lauren Sieczkowski lifted a pass behind the Profs defense finding senior Mary Lauren Franz. On the near sideline, Franz dribbled past a defender before sending a pass across the crease finding sophomore Marie Brainard on the back post. Brainard fired a one-timer on cage, but her opportunity was saved by the Rowan netminder meanwhile her rebound chance deflected off the keeper for a reset. Ursinus continued the offensive pressure and earned a penalty corner at the 12:06-mark but the pass across the crease was blocked and sent out of danger by a Profs defender. Rowan closed out the opening period with a corner of their own, but the Bears defense denied the chance as the contest entered the second stanza tied at zero.
 

Rowan recorded three consecutive penalty corners to open the second period as they were turned away with each chance with their lone shot being blocked by a Bears defender. Shortly later after a Bears turnover, Rowan's Allie Palumbo drove towards the left side of the circle and sent a backhanded shot on goal that snuck past the Bears defense for the game's opening score. The remainder of the half was a battle within the midfield, until Ursinus was awarded a penalty corner with eight seconds remaining in the first half.  Sophomore Kirsten Johnson inserted the corner finding senior defender Maeve Montgomery at the top of the circle. Montgomery swung a pass to Brainard, and she beat a defender before firing a shot on goal. Brainard's shot deflected off a defender's foot and into the back of the cage to tie the game at one heading into halftime.
 
 
The Bears opened the second half with consecutive corner opportunities as the Bears were turned away when Sieczkowski's shot was saved by the Profs netminder. At the 32:47-mark, Rowan recorded a shot on goal but the Bears defense and junior netminder Adriana Palladinetti denied the opportunity to keep the game tied at one. The best offensive chance came with 1:20 remaining in the stanza as Franz fired a shot on goal during a counterattack that was saved by the Profs defense. Rowan capitalized on an opportunity to open the final period as Jenna Gray connected on a scoring opportunity to give Rowan a 2-1 advantage with 13:33 remaining in the quarter. On the play, Rowan pushed the pace during a counterattack chance as they entered the circle with a three-on-three opportunity. A pass was sent through the circle, deflected off a Bears defender resulting in a one-on-one chance for Gray with the Bears netminder. Gray loaded up and sent a shot past the left side of Palladinetti for the go-ahead goal to give the Profs a 2-1 lead. Ursinus responded with a pair of corners and shots on goal from Franz and Brainard, but the opportunities were saved by the Rowan defense to keep the Bears deficit at one. The Bears added a trio of shots and pulled their goalie throughout the closing moments, but were unable to come away with the equalizer fall 2-1 to the Profs.
 
 
The Bears held a 16-7 lead in shots, a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal, and an 8-5 edge in penalty corner opportunities. Rowan's Mariah Juiliano earned the victory in goal behind 11 saves, while Palladinetti suffered the loss tallying one save.
 
 
Ursinus closes out their 2024 season with a 13-7 record and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.