Millersville, Pa. - Despite outshooting their opponent 13-8, the No. 5 Millersville University field hockey team lost a well-fought 2-1 match against No. 4 West Chester that was decided on a penalty stroke late in the second half. It marks the team's first loss of the season, but the Marauders will have a shot at redemption on Oct. 3 when they travel to West Chester.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
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Sol Ortiz-Kreiner opened the scoring in the 12th minute off a penalty corner from
Kyra Brakefield.
Erica Tarsi lined the ball to the right side of the cage where Ortiz-Kreiner was set to slap the ball in and give Millersville a 1-0 lead.
• The Golden Rams quickly responded with a goal from Kaitlin Hatch in the 14th minute that was deflected off a pass from Emily Evans.
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Katie Baker, making her first collegiate start, kept the game tied with two beautiful saves in the first half. In the 26th minute, she slid feet first to send the shot off of her leg pad and in the 32nd minute after coming out to stop a cross, she managed to scramble back to the cage in time to save a rocket from Dara Spavlik.
• The two teams held each other off the board deep into the second half, but in the 60th minute a penalty stroke was awarded to the Golden Rams. Hatch was able to fire the ball past Baker and break the tie, ultimately deciding the game in West Chester's favor.
COACH SHELLY BEHRENS QUOTES
• "I liked us. For having some time off and some injuries and folks being out of the lineup, I think we played a very good game. I like where we are right now. We played a really good team. It's just now a matter of us getting better."
• "[
Katie Baker] did her job. I'm not sure why that penalty stroke was called, but sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. I thought she did exactly what we needed her to do. The defense also did a nice job. We lost 2-1 on a penalty stroke. It's September. I'm happy with us. I thought we competed well. It's always a great game with West Chester. I thought we did some nice things and created chances. Now it's just a matter of how we are going to finish those chances."
• "It's okay if this game stings, and it should sting. Let it sting now. We're going to look at the next task ahead in IUP. We'll use this to get better for IUP and we'll go from there."
• "It was a great team effort tonight. I love some things we did, but there are some things to work on. I think we're built for distance. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm good with where we are right now."
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
• Sol Ortiz-Keiner notched a team-high four shots, two of which were on goal.
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Katie Baker recorded four stops in the cage.
NOTES
• This was the Marauders' first game since Sept. 2, a 7-0 win over Converse College.
• Although Millersville and West Chester both compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), tonight's match did not count towards conference play. Their Oct. 3 meeting will.
• The Marauders held a 7-5 advantage in penalty corners, with the Golden Rams recording all of their's in the second half.
UP NEXT
• Millersville will next travel to Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 22 for an 11 a.m. matchup. The team's next home game will be on Tuesday, Sept. 25 against No. 5 Bloomsburg, which will not count towards PSAC play.
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