COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A first-half deluge finally gave way to a breakthrough as the Ursinus College field hockey team scored a 2-0 Centennial Conference victory over Haverford in a contest the Bears dominated thoroughly.
Senior Amber Steigerwalt and sophomore Bridget Sherry scored in a three-minute span bridging halftime for the 6th-ranked Bears (8-2, 5-1), who rung up the first 25 shots of the game before Haverford (5-6, 1-3) finally recorded its first attempt more than 56 minutes in. Ursinus improved to 18-0 all-time against the Fords, who have qualified for the CC playoffs in six of the past seven seasons.
Despite a 19-0 deficit in shots in the opening period, Haverford somehow managed to keep Ursinus off the board for the vast majority of the frame. One of the Bears' 15 penalty corners – their 11th, to be exact – finally paid off with just 1:22 to play in the half. The insert was played around the circle senior defender Rachel Zane played a pass to junior Brooke Overly, who hammered a shot that Steigerwalt got a stick on and deflected into the back of the cage for a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Sherry made quick work of doubling the advantage after intermission, converting her first career penalty stroke attempt just 1:38 into the second half.
The lead stayed there for the rest of the night, thanks to an Ursinus defense that six penalty corners over the final 15 minutes. Two of the Fords' four shots were blocked, and one hit the post in the 59th minute to preserve the clean sheet.
Danielle Rette made seven saves and Natalie Leslie registered a defensive save for Haverford, which was outshot 26-4.
Seniors Aliki Torrence and Colleen Leahy, the reigning CC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, recorded five shots apiece for Ursinus, with Overly and freshman Erin Saybolt chipping in four of their own.
Sophomore Jules Singer was not called on to make a save for the Bears, earning her second solo shutout of the season.
Winners of three straight, Ursinus heads to Baltimore for a CC matchup with Johns Hopkins on Saturday, October 8.
