GETTYSBURG, Pa. – For the sixth time this season and the second consecutive game, the 15th-ranked Ursinus field hockey team pulled out an overtime victory, defeating Gettysburg College, 2-1, on the road at Shirk Field on Friday.
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 11-4 on the season and 5-3 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Bullets drop to 9-6 overall and 3-5 in conference play. Senior forward
Marie Brainard led the Bears' offense, scoring both goals to push her season total to 14, which ranks tied for 11th in Division III. It marks her fourth multi-goal performance of the season and eighth of her career.
The Bullets grabbed the early momentum at the 13:21 mark of the first quarter, converting off their third consecutive penalty corner to take an early 1-0 lead. On the corner, a pass found the far side of the cage, and a pass across the crease was converted to give the Bullets the advantage.
The Bears received a green card to close out the first quarter but responded in the early moments of the second quarter with a shot on goal by junior
Katie Studzinski. Her shot came on a one-timer off a pass from sophomore
Kylie Moore but was denied by the Bullets' defense to keep the deficit at one.
After the Bears denied a corner chance by the Bullets, Ursinus found the equalizer in the 26th minute when sophomore
Sophia Penza assisted Brainard on her first goal. On the corner attempt, Penza received the insert outside the circle and sent a pass to Brainard, who found space between the Bullets' defenders and converted a backhanded shot to tie the game heading into halftime.
Senior forward
Ava Mikulski nearly put the Bears ahead just 30 seconds into the second half, but her shot missed just wide of the net to keep the game tied. The scoring opportunity was created by Moore, who lifted a long pass into the Bullets' defensive third before Mikulski grabbed the loose ball and nearly converted the chance.
The Bullets responded with a pair of shots in the 35th minute, but their first attempt missed wide and the second was blocked by the Bears' defense to keep the game tied. In the closing moments of the third quarter, Brainard tallied a pair of shots for Ursinus, with her first missing wide right and the second being saved to send the contest into the fourth quarter tied at one.
Ursinus earned three consecutive penalty corners to open the fourth quarter, with Brainard and Studzinski each firing shots on goal that were saved by the Bullets' goalkeeper. Gettysburg responded with a pair of shots to close out regulation, but both attempts missed wide as the game entered overtime.
The Bears' offense did not wait long, earning two corners in the first minute of overtime before Brainard tallied the game-winning goal in the 61st minute to give Ursinus the 2-1 road victory. Brainard received the insert on the corner and dribbled around her defender before firing a shot into the near side of the cage to give Ursinus its second consecutive overtime victory.
The Bears held an 11-9 advantage in shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal, while Ursinus also held a 10-8 advantage in penalty corners. First-year goalkeeper
Elise Martin earned the victory for Ursinus with two saves, while Gettysburg's Ava Spear suffered the loss with five saves.
The Bears return to action Wednesday, October 28, traveling to Muhlenberg College for a Centennial Conference contest scheduled for 7 p.m.
