PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. - The Slippery Rock University field hockey team suffered its first loss of the 2024 season in a 4-1 loss Monday at No. 9 Pace University.
 
Following the setback, SRU's record moves to 2-1 on the year. The nationally ranked Setters improve to 2-3.
 
Gianna Conti scored Slippery Rock's lone goal and placed a team-best five shots on target in the defeat. Conti has now produced seven points on three goals and one assist over The Rock's last two games.
 
Bailee Christman earned her team-best eighth point of the season courtesy of an assist on Conti's goal. The assist also served as the 36th point in Christman's four-year career – the 15th highest total in program history.
 
Rounding out The Rock's offensive leaders was Hilary Hoffman and Leslie Colliver with five and three shots on goal, respectively.
 
Defensively, goalkeeper Grace Burker made 10 saves while SRU field athletes were credited with a single-game program record seven defensive saves. Christina Clymer and Roz Mikulak earned two defensive stops apiece with Christman, Haley Metcalf and Sammy Graci tallying one each as well.
 
Slippery Rock found itself trailing 2-0 through one half of competition before Conti pulled SRU to within one score after she converted her third goal of the season in the 34th minute.
 
However, the one-goal margin would be as close as The Rock's comeback bid would get. Pace scored again in the 40th minute, stopped a Colliver penalty stroke at 42:13, added another tally in the 53rd minute and fended off seven SRU shots in the fourth quarter to close out the 4-1 victory.
 
For the game, Pace held advantages over The Rock in total shots (26-19), shots on goal (21-15) and penalty corners (11-7). Krista Dietz led Pace to the win courtesy of a one-goal, two-assist effort.  
 
Slippery Rock continues its non-conference schedule when it wraps up a three-game road trip 11 a.m. Saturday at No. 3 Shippensburg University.





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