COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus field hockey team recorded three goals in the second half to earn a 3-1 comeback victory over Gettysburg College on Saturday afternoon at Snell Field.
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 7-8 overall and 3-5 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Bullets drop to 8-8 on the season and 3-5 in conference play. The Bears celebrated eight seniors on the afternoon as
Lauren Breisch,
Rachel Buono,
Zoe Horan,
Gigi Testa,
Lauren Sieczkowski,
Remi Lloyd,
Adriana Palladinetti, and
Susie Miller were recognized prior to the game for their dedication and commitment to the field hockey program over the last four seasons.
Both defenses stood tall through the first period as each offense struggled to create scoring chances. The Bears opened the second stanza with consecutive shots, but the first missed wide and the second was saved by the Bullets defense. Gettysburg responded with the game's opening score with 4:12 remaining in the first half, capitalizing off a penalty corner. The Bears denied the initial chance, but Gettysburg's Jane Mezzanotte corralled a loose ball and found the back of the cage. Ursinus answered with a pair of penalty corners to close out the first half, but came away empty and trailed 1-0 entering halftime.
The Bears carried the momentum into the second half, opening with five consecutive corners and collecting two shots on target. Maintaining much of the possession, the Bears' offense broke through with 6:52 to play in the quarter as junior
Kirsten Johnson netted her team leading fifth goal of the season. During a corner, Johnson inserted a pass to Sieczkowski before receiving a pass back and firing a shot between the legs of Gettysburg's keeper. Ursinus kept the pressure on the Bullets defense and broke through with their second goal just before the end of the quarter. With 43-seconds remaining, junior
Ava Mikulski received a pass within the circle, snuck around a defender, and sent a bouncing shot into the back of the cage to give Ursinus a 2-1 lead. In the final period, the Ursinus defense limited Gettysburg to just one shot on goal, while the Bears' final tally came with under two minutes remaining. On a penalty corner, Johnson's initial shot was saved but Testa connected on the loose ball to give Ursinus a 3-1 victory.
Ursinus held a commanding 26-7 in shots, a 12-4 lead in shots on goal, and a 14-4 edge in penalty corners. Palladinetti earned the victory in goal behind three saves, while Gettysburg's Emilia Saccento suffered the loss, recording nine saves.
The Bears return to action on Wednesday, October 29th as they host Muhlenberg College for a Centennial Conference matchup at 7 p.m.
