COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – An early goal proved to be the difference as the No. 16 Ursinus College field hockey team fell by a 1-0 score against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on Wednesday evening from Snell Alumnae Field.
 

TCNJ's Avery Lacca netted the only score as she found the back of the cage after an initial penalty corner opportunity was denied by the Bears defense. With the loss Ursinus falls to 4-2 overall, while the Lions snapped a four-game skid and improved to 4-4 on the season.

 
The Lions recorded back-to-back shots during the second minute, but the first was blocked by the Bears defense and the second missed wide to keep the contest scoreless. TCNJ controlled possession for much of the first stanza, before sophomore Kirsten Johnson tallied a shot on goal at the 13:10-mark but the game entered the second period tied at zero. The Lions were awarded a penalty corner at the 22:49-mark and capitalized off the opportunity scoring on a rebound chance to gain a 1-0 advantage. With under three minutes remaining in the half, Ursinus tallied a corner opportunity, but unfortunately sophomore Marie Brainard's chance missed wide to keep the deficit at one entering halftime.
 
 
The Bears opened the third period with a corner opportunity at the 30:45-mark as junior Rachel Bueno's shot was blocked by the Lions defense. The rebounds deflected towards the right side of the net, but the Ursinus opportunity was turned away as a pass across the crease missed wide. At the 37:35-mark, senior Mary Lauren Franz nearly found the equalizer, but a save from TCNJ's goalkeeper kept the Bears off the board. Ursinus closed out the third period by firing back-to-back shots on goal from Brainard and senior Amanda Groeling, but each opportunity as the Bears trailed 1-0 entering the final stanza. The Bears carried the offensive pressure into the fourth period, but were unable to come away with the game-tying goal and fell by a score of 1-0.  

 
Ursinus held a 7-5 advantage in shots, including a 6-2 edge in shots on goal, while the Bears recorded six penalty corners compared to just two for TCNJ. Adriana Palldinetti suffered the loss in goal for the Bears behind one save, while TCNJ's Brigitte Racey collected the victory finishing with five saves.
 
 
The Bears will look to bounce back on Saturday as they open Centennial Conference play with a road matchup against No. 4 Johns Hopkins at noon.