Box Score
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime, but it wasn't enough as Mansfield scored a goal just 2:42 into OT to defeat The Rock 3-2 Wednesday night in Lock Haven, Pa. The defeat snapped SRU's two-game winning streak.
Even with the loss, Slippery Rock (5-12, 4-5 PSAC-West) is still in third place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division and in contention for a berth into the PSAC Tournament. To qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1987, SRU will need to beat Indiana (Pa.) in its regular season finale Saturday, or have Mercyhurst (7-10, 3-6 PSAC-West) lose against Mansfield. A Mercyhurst win combined with a Rock loss would eliminate Slippery Rock from the playoffs due to tiebreaker rules.
Seniors
Skylar Brosse and
Rebecca Coleman both scored goals for Slippery Rock with freshman
Kaili Simmons providing an assist on Coleman's score. The Rock held a 26-17 advantage in shots. Junior
Gabrielle Malishchak and senior
Erin Moran tied for the team lead with six shots each.
Freshman goalie
Courtney Lee allowed three goals and made one save in the defeat. Junior
Grace Bathurst (2) and Moran (1) both recorded defensive saves during regulation to keep the game close.
The Rock registered eight of the game's first 10 shots, but it would be Mansfield that would score first when Jillian Richards beat Lee on a penalty stroke 29:16 into the first half. The Mountaineers kept on the attack and scored again to take a 2-0 lead thanks to Kristyn Grunza's ninth goal of the season at 33:11.
However, with a chance to clinch a playoff spot on the line, The Rock fought back and 2:38 into the second period Coleman took a shot from five yards out and put the ball in the right corner of the goal to cut Mansfield's lead to 2-1. The score would remain the same deep into the half until Brosse kept Slippery Rock's hopes alive by scoring off of a deflected shot with just 3:56 remaining in regulation to tie things up at 2-2. Neither team was able to get a shot off for the remainder of the half and the game went into overtime.
Slippery Rock came out firing in OT with Simmons taking two shots, but both would be stopped by Mansfield. The Mountaineers mounted their counterattack and Kristy Tutorow found Taryn Schawillie with a long pass that led to Schawillie scoring the game-winner at 72:44.
Slippery Rock will wrap up regular season competition when it hosts Indiana (Pa.) 12 p.m. Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in what is almost a must-win game. The Rock lost to the Crimson Hawks 4-1 in Indiana earlier in the season. Saturday will also be Senior Day at Slippery Rock.
Notes: The game was originally scheduled to take place in Mansfield, but instead was played at Lock Haven University due to poor field conditions at Mansfield. There was also a weather delay in the second half of tonight's match.
