SCRANTON, Pa. – The Ursinus field hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in overtime to Scranton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday evening.
With the loss, the Bears finish their 2021 season at 13-6 overall. Meanwhile, the Royals improve to 18-1 overall and will advance to face Washington & Lee on Saturday in the round of 16 at Rowan University.
Ursinus came out on fire in the first quarter as they cashed in on their second of two penalty corners in the fifth minute when freshman Maeve Montgomery ripped the ball into the net from the top of the circle, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead. The Bears quickly added another goal off a corner three minutes later, this time from senior Devon Carroll from the left circle to make it 2-0. Despite the two early goals, the Royals began generating pressure and nearly got on the board in the 10th minute before junior Lauren Weaver made a defensive save. The Bears had two chances early in the second quarter both saved by Royals goalkeeper Clare Maguire. Scranton was awarded a penalty corner in the 23rd minute and got on the board with a tip-in on the left side after the initial shot ricocheted off the post. The Royals began controlling play in the final minutes and had a shot bounce off the post in the final minute.
Both teams had good scoring chances saved in the opening minute saved, but the Royals continued their momentum from the second quarter by dominating possession. Scranton was awarded an untimed corner at the end of the third quarter and scored off a tip in front to tie the game at two. The Royals had their only shot in the fourth quarter bounce off the left post, and the Bears were only able to get one shot off a pair of penalty corners in the final minute. Scranton wasted little time in the overtime period as they scored the winning goal just 23 seconds in.
The Royals held a 12-7 shot advantage for the game as they outshot the Bears 7-2 in the final three quarters. Ursinus held a slight 7-5 edge in penalty corner opportunities. Junior goalkeeper Jordan Ulsh made two saves in the full 60:23 of action for the bears, while Maguire earned the win after making four saves in the full action. Shaelin De Wit netted two goals for the Royals and Elle Collins scored the game-winning goal in overtime.