BALTIMORE, Md. – The 12th-ranked Ursinus field hockey team battled throughout, but a goal in the 57th minute proved to be the difference as the Bears fell, 1-0, against No. 8 Johns Hopkins University on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, Ursinus falls to 7-3 overall and 1-2 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays improved to 7-3 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in conference play.
Johns Hopkins controlled possession throughout the first period, outshooting Ursinus 7-0, but first-year netminder
Elise Martin and the Bears' defense denied each chance to keep the game tied entering the second stanza. The Blue Jays registered two penalty corners, with Martin recording three saves for Ursinus during the opening stanza.
The beginning of the second period was a standstill between both teams, with Ursinus controlling possession early on. The Bears received a shot on goal by senior
Marie Brainard with 10:26 remaining in the period, before being awarded a corner in the 21st minute, but both chances were turned away by the Blue Jays defense. Next, with 3:26 remaining in the period, sophomore
Kylie Moore fired a pass into the circle, nearly finding junior forward
Ava Wood, but the opportunity was kicked away by the Blue Jays' goalie.
Ursinus continued the pressure with 47-seconds remaining in the half. Moore fired another pass into the circle, targeting senior
Maddie Rogers and sophomore
Carlyn McKendrick, but a foul was called, sending the contest to halftime tied at zero.
The second half started with both teams trading penalty corners, with Martin earning her fourth save of the contest by denying a shot by Johns Hopkins' Caeli Robinson to keep the game tied. Next, Brainard and Moore each tallied shots for Ursinus with under four minutes to play in the period, but both were denied as the game entered the final stanza tied at zero.
Both teams made their final advances with under six minutes to play in the fourth period, as Brainard was turned away on a backhanded shot with 5:26 remaining in the contest. Next, on a Hopkins penalty corner, the Blue Jays converted as a one-timer from Robinson snuck through the Bears' defense and into the back of the cage, resulting in the 1-0 final score.
The Blue Jays held a 9-4 advantage in shots, a 5-3 edge in shots on goal and a 4-3 lead in penalty corner opportunities. Martin suffered the loss for Ursinus in goal with four saves, while Jessica Lapidus earned the victory for the Blue Jays with two saves in 30 minutes of action.
The Bears will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Haverford College at 7 p.m. at Snell Alumnae Field.
