WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ursinus College field hockey team was on the hunt for a tying goal before falling prey to a late flurry by No. 11 Catholic in a 6-2 non-conference setback on Tuesday in the nation's capital.
Junior Bridget Sherry and sophomore Erin Saybolt tallied penalty stroke goals for the Bears (7-7), who trailed just 3-2 with around five minutes remaining until the Cardinals cashed in on three consecutive corners to score a victory that was closer than the final margin indicated.
The Cardinals (12-2) were flying around early, peppering the Ursinus cage with four shots in the first five minutes. Two were on frame, but Bears keeper Jules Singer was up to the task on both. Catholic ultimately broke the ice on the first of two first-half markers by Alexa Guittari with 9:13 gone by in the period.
The Bears pulled back to level ground with 15:23 to play in the frame, when Sherry lifted a penalty stroke to the top right side of the net and past Catholic goalie Sophia Hamilton. It was the fourth goal of the season for Sherry and the eighth of her career, all of which have come from the penalty spot – on ten attempts.
Guittari wasted little time putting the Cardinals back in the driver's seat, finishing a cross from Katie Anderson high into the right edge of the cage just 29 seconds after Sherry's stroke. The Bears survived a penalty corner for Catholic with time expired, keeping the deficit at 2-1 heading into intermission.
Ursinus fell victim to another early barrage in the second stanza, this time as Kerri Shallow deposited the last of her three consecutive shots into the back of the cage to deliver the home side a 3-1 lead just shy of the 40-minute mark.
Senior Brooke Overly created a scoring chance with an impressive solo effort in transition, weaving her way downfield before earning a corner. The Bears had several stabs at the ball as it bounced around in front of a prone Hamilton, who was on the ground, but to no avail.
Another penalty stroke – this one off the stick of Saybolt – got Ursinus back within one with just over 20 minutes showing on the clock. A flurry of corners resulted in a shot by Saybolt that made contact with a Cardinal defender in front of the cage, and the sophomore made the most of her first career stroke attempt to trim the Catholic edge to 3-2.
With Ursinus pushing for an equalizer, the Cardinals ended their hopes with three unanswered goals – all on corners – in a span of 3:35 late in the second half. The first came with 5:02 left, as Marisa Martinelli tapped a pass over to Rachel Baca, who one-timed it past Singer for a key insurance tally.
Less than two minutes later Molly Crowley batted Martinelli's pass out of the air and into the cage to make it 5-2. Martinelli again played facilitator on a third corner, this time assisting Lane Adams' strike with 1:37 to play.
Catholic outshot the Bears, 16-5, and held a 10-8 edge in corners. Overly and Saybolt accounted for four of Ursinus' shots, and Singer wound up with six saves. Hamilton made just one in the victory for the Cardinals, who snapped a two-game skid to the Bears.
Ursinus returns to action with a critical showdown against Johns Hopkins on Saturday. The Bears will honor their four seniors prior to first tap against the Blue Jays, who are tied with Franklin & Marshall for first place in the Centennial Conference at 7-0.