COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Three goals in the first period propelled the Ursinus field hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Washington College on Saturday afternoon at Snell Alumnae Field.
 
 
With the win, Ursinus improved to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in Centennial Conference play. The Shorewomen fell to 5-8 on the season and 2-3 in conference action. Saturday's victory marked the Bears' 15th straight home win over Washington College and their 13th in the last 14 meetings overall.
 
 
Ursinus went on the attack early, scoring on its second shot attempt just four minutes into the game when junior Marie Brainard converted a penalty corner. Classmate Kirsten Johnson inserted the corner to senior Lauren Sieczkowski at the top of the circle. Sieczkowski sent a pass to Brainard, who split two defenders before beating the goalie with a far-post shot to open the scoring. Later in the first period, at the 10:10 mark, Ursinus capitalized on another penalty corner to extend the lead to 2-0. This time, Sieczkowski sent a shot toward the cage that was redirected by senior Gigi Testa for her third goal of the season. Just over a minute later, Johnson intercepted a pass in the Shorewomen's defensive end, outran two defenders and chipped a backhanded shot past the goalie to give Ursinus a three-goal lead.
 
 
The Bears carried the momentum into the second stanza, denying a Shorewomen penalty corner before stretching the lead to 4-0 at the 20:28 mark. Junior Rachel Fosbenner intercepted a pass and found Testa inside the circle. Testa redirected Fosbenner's pass to senior Remi Lloyd, who fired a shot past the Washington College defense for her first goal of the season. Both defenses held firm for the remainder of the first half, sending Ursinus into the break with a 4-0 advantage. The teams traded penalty corner chances to open the third period before Washington College got on the board at the 40:52 mark to make it 4-1. The Bears' defense stood tall the rest of the way to secure the win.
 
 
Both teams recorded 10 shots, with Ursinus holding a 7-5 edge in shots on goal and a 9-5 advantage in penalty corners. Senior goalie Adriana Palladinetti earned the win with four saves, while Washington's Charlotte Schurman took the loss with three saves.
 
 
Ursinus returns to action Saturday, October 18th, when they visit Bryn Mawr College at 1 p.m.