CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Ursinus College field hockey team got a stiff test from Washington College, but back-to-back goals in just over a minute early in the second half held up as the Bears came back from Maryland with a 3-1 Centennial Conference triumph in tow.
Freshman Erin Saybolt made the most of her first career goal, blasting in the go-ahead marker just 2:06 after intermission, and sophomore Bridget Sherry added an insurance tally on a penalty stroke 79 seconds later for the 8th-ranked Bears (11-4, 7-1), who remained a game behind Muhlenberg for first place in the CC standings. Senior Amber Steigerwalt scored the first goal of the game for Ursinus, which clinched a CC playoff berth for the 14th consecutive season.
Ursinus won its fifth straight in the series and improved to 17-1 all-time against Washington College (5-9, 2-5), but this one was far from easy. The Shorewomen played the high-powered Bears to a 1-1 stalemate after a half, moving to level ground on a rebound goal by Sophie Grabiec at 31:48. Ursinus only held an 8-7 advantage in shots in the first frame, needing four saves from sophomore Jules Singer and a defensive save by senior Aliki Torrence to avoid a deficit.
The Bears quickly broke free of the deadlock after the break. Saybolt's shot off a feed from senior Rachel Zane deflected off a defender and into the back of the cage, giving Ursinus a 2-1 lead.
A minute later, the Shorewomen used a defensive save to prevent a goal by Ursinus senior Colleen Leahy, but the home side was not so fortunate when Sherry stepped into the circle for a penalty stroke. She deftly deposited it into the left side of the cage for her second goal of the year, both of which have come on strokes.
Singer made one more save in the second stanza, her defense mostly shutting down Washington College's attack as the Bears locked up another postseason appearance.
Steigerwalt led the way with five shots for Ursinus, which owned an 18-12 edge in that category and a 10-9 margin in corners. Leahy and Torrence added three shots apiece. Alli Dudley (5) and Elizabeth Davis (4) combined for nine shots for the Shorewomen, and Morgan Domanico made four saves.
Torrence's defensive save was her first of the season and the ninth of her career.
With two more goals, Steigerwalt moved into a tie for sixth in program history with 54.
The Bears are back for Homecoming on Saturday, October 22, when they face off with Dickinson at noon.