Gettysburg, Pa. – The Ursinus College field hockey team commenced Centennial Conference play at Gettysburg on Saturday, defeating the Bullets 6-2. Seniors Ann Kopera and Colleen Leahy led the Bears attack, recording 11 points on a combined five scores and an assist.
Kopera scored twice in the first six minutes of play to give Ursinus (4-1, 1-0) a commanding lead. Kopera finished a play from Leahy for her first score of the match less than two minutes in and notched her second goal shortly after. Minutes later, Leahy rocketed a shot from the right side of the cage to put the Bears on top 3-0.
Gettysburg got on the board in the 12th minute, but the goal would be quickly erased on senior Amber Steigerwalt's team-high fourth marker of the season. Leahy added a second snipe from the right side before the half to put the Bears ahead 5-1 at the break.
The Ursinus defense continued to trouble the Bullets in the second half. The Bears shut out Gettysburg for most of the second half before the Bullets were able to muster another score to pull within 6-2 with nearly 10 minutes left in regulation.
However, Kopera and the offense would not relent in the closing minutes of play. The senior tipped in a shot from junior Brooke Overly to register her first collegiate hat trick and pull into a tie with Steigerwault for the team lead in goals.
Ursinus outshot the Bullets, 24-8, and enjoyed a 14-3 advantage in penalty corners. Leahy put half of her six shots on goal and added an assist in her top performance of the season, and Overly handed out her first two assists of the year, a new career high.
Steigerwalt's 45th career goal gave her 111 career points, moving her into a tie for ninth on the program's all-time charts.
Sophomore Jules Singer made one save to pick up her fourth victory of the season. Gettysburg's Haley Mowery collected seven stops, and the Bullets made three defensive saves.
The Bears have now won four straight contests against Gettysburg and have outscored the Bullets 21-3 in that span. Ursinus will continue the 2016 campaign on Wednesday, September 21st at Bryn Mawr. Game time is scheduled for 4:30 P.M.