GAFFNEY, S.C. - The Slippery Rock University field hockey team lost its 2022 season-opener to Pace University, 3-1, Sunday, in Gaffney, South Carolina.
 
While the game, which was played on the campus of Limestone University, marked the first contest of the year for SRU (0-1), it served as the third game of the season for Pace (2-1).
 
Addy Ross, a 2021 All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference honoree, paced The Rock's offensive effort against Pace with one goal. Samantha Karmonick facilitated Ross' goal with her fourth career assist.
 
Bailee Christman placed all three of her shots against the Setters on target while Ross and Karmonick also produced one shot on goal apiece. Erin Roland rounded out The Rock's top offensive contributors with three total shots, one of which was on goal.
 
Second-year starting goalkeeper Grace Burker played all 60 minutes, making a career-high nine saves with the three goals surrendered.
 
Burker stopped three shots over the game's first four minutes before Pace's Mej Noelle was finally able to sneak an attempt through for a goal in the fifth minute of action. Burker went on to stop two more shots to keep The Rock's deficit at one goal heading into the second quarter.
 
Slippery Rock answered Pace's early score with a goal of its own five minutes into the second quarter off of a corner as Karmonick found Ross for a game-tying goal at 20:16. The game eventually headed into halftime tied at 1-1 after Burker made two more saves while Pace was able to thwart three SRU shots.
 
However, The Rock's comeback bid was halted in the third quarter as Krista Dietz scored a go-ahead goal for Pace 92 seconds into the third quarter with Katelyn Fairhurst adding an insurance score in the 41st minute on a Dietz assist to make it a 3-1 contest.
 
SRU did fire off three attempts in the fourth quarter, but ultimately could never answer back from Pace's big third quarter en route to a two-goal Setters win.
 
For the game, Pace held advantages over The Rock in total shots (14-10) and shots on goal (12-6) while SRU held a sizable 10-3 edge in penalty corners.
 
Slippery Rock will close out its time in South Carolina Monday against Belmont Abbey College at 8 a.m.
 
 

 
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