FROSTBURG, Md. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team lost to Frostburg State University in overtime, 1-0, Tuesday at Bobcat Stadium in Frostburg, Maryland.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference loss drops SRU's record to 2-7 overall and 0-4 in league competition while FSU improves to 4-6 overall and 1-2 in the PSAC. Three of Slippery Rock's last four losses have been one-goal decisions.
Tuesday's game marked the fourth overtime contest in the last five meetings between The Rock and Bobcats. The result also gives Slippery Rock and Frostburg State a series split for the season – SRU downed FSU, 2-1, at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium to open the year.
SRU was unable to take advantage of a season-high 15 penalty corners. Additionally, Slippery Rock compiled 12 totals shots and seven shots on goal – both of which were the third highest single-game marks in the respective categories this season.
Grace Burker led a great Rock defensive effort by stopping six shots and anchoring a unit that cleared 11 Bobcat penalty corners and fended off 13 of FSU's 14 shot attempts on the night.
Christina Clymer made her team-leading fourth defensive save of the year as well.
SRU's offensive attack was paced by
Bailee Christman, who placed three of her game-high six total shots on goal. The quartet of Clymer,
Gianna Conti,
Sammy Graci and
Leslie Colliver also accounted for one shot on goal apiece.
Defensively, Burker and the rest of SRU's back line fended off every Frostburg State attack in regulation including a stretch of three shots in 47 seconds during the first quarter as well as a three-shot, 17-second onslaught in the third quarter in addition to Clymer's big save in the 35th minute to keep FSU off the scoreboard in regulation.
Meanwhile, The Rock offense seemed poised to score a goal several times throughout the opening four quarters with perhaps its best chance of what would have been the game-winner coming in the final 40 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Off what was SRU's 14th penalty corner of the match, Christman sent in a shot from the top of the circle that was slapped away by FSU goalie Zoe Barnes which allowed Graci to corral the loose ball and fire off a shot at an open cage only for defender Morgan Sparks to make a dramatic defensive save before another Frostburg State foul gave SRU a final penalty corner with 13 seconds left to play.
Christman produced another shot attempt on the ensuing corner, but Barnes once again made the stop, derailing The Rock's late-game heroics and sending the game into overtime.
The Frostburg State attack eventually broke through two minutes into the extra time when Paige Leitzel sliced her way into the circle before playing a pass into Zoe Reading, who in turn got off an attempt from five-yards out that went to the right of Burker and into the back of the cage to seal the FSU win at 61:55.
As a team, Frostburg State held advantages over The Rock in both total shots (14-12) and shots on goal (8-7) while SRU edged the Bobcats in penalty corners (15-11). Barnes made six saves to preserve the shutout for FSU while Reading's game-winner was her second goal of the season.
Slippery Rock returns home to host No. 3 East Stroudsburg University 12 p.m. Sunday on Alumni Day at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
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