COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The 13th-ranked Ursinus field hockey team erupted for seven first-half goals en route to an 8-0 victory over McDaniel College on Saturday at Snell Alumnae Field.
With the victory, Ursinus closed out the regular season on a four-game winning streak, a 13-4 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Centennial Conference play. Meanwhile, the Green Terror fell to 3-14 overall and 0-10 in conference play.
The Bears celebrated eight seniors before the game as
Rachel Fosbenner,
Marie Brainard,
Maddie Rogers,
Kirsten Johnson,
Emma Reinert,
Monica Herman,
Ava Mikulski and
Andi Helphenstine were recognized for their dedication and commitment to the field hockey program over the last four years.
Brainard led the Bears' offense with seven points on three goals and an assist, reaching the 100-career-point mark. Junior forward
Ava Wood scored twice, while Johnson, junior
Katie Studzinski and sophomore
Carlyn McKendrick each added a goal for Ursinus.
The Bears wasted no time getting the offense rolling as Brainard connected on a penalty corner in the third minute to give Ursinus an early 1-0 lead. In the eighth minute, McKendrick tipped a pass from Fosbenner into the back of the cage for her first career goal, extending the Bears' lead to 2-0.
At the 10:50 mark, Studzinski received a pass inside the circle, created a one-on-one opportunity and sent a bouncing shot past the McDaniel goalkeeper for her third goal of the season. Wood closed out the first quarter by scoring on a long pass from Fosbenner to extend the Bears' lead to 4-0 entering the second quarter.
Ursinus carried the momentum into the second period, with Brainard and Johnson each scoring within the first three minutes to increase the Bears' lead to 6-0 at the 17:43 mark. Wood scored her second goal in the 21st minute, dribbling into the circle and firing a shot past the McDaniel defense to give Ursinus a 7-0 halftime lead.
The Bears' final goal came in the fourth quarter when Johnson inserted a pass to Brainard on a penalty corner, and Brainard completed her hat trick to reach the 100-career-point mark. It marked Brainard's fifth multi-goal game of the season and her first career hat trick.
Ursinus held a 28-8 advantage in shots, a 17-3 lead in shots on goal and a 10-2 edge in penalty corners. First-year goalkeeper
Elise Martin earned the victory, recording three saves over 45 minutes of action. McDaniel's Lora Scarangello took the loss, making one save in 20 minutes of action.
The Bears will return to action Tuesday, November 3rd, when they host the first round of the Centennial Conference Championships.
