MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The fifth-ranked Millersville field hockey team appeared on the brink of scoring and breaking open the game during a strong second-half surge, but No. 4 East Stroudsburg got a pair of crucial, late defensive saves to hold on to a 1-0 road win Wednesday night at Biemesderfer Stadium.
Millersville (13-3, 6-3 PSAC) entered the game 10-0 at home, and East Stroudsburg (15-3, 9-1 PSAC) came in riding an eight-game winning streak with wins in 15 of the previous 16 games. Something had to give, and it was Nicole Krozser's second-quarter goal that proved the difference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The evenly matched teams duked it out in the midfield the entire first quarter with neither team earning a shot or a penalty corner. ESU earned its first and only corner of the game 23 seconds into the second, and Hannah Barbush, who would play a key role on the defensive end later in the game, placed a shot off the pads of Millersville keeper
Kerstin Koons. The ball died at Koons' feet where Krozser gained possession and quickly pushed a shot past Koons' left side. ESU took just two other shots in the game, and it was the only shot placed on goal.
• The Marauders controlled play in the final 30 minutes, earning three penalty corners in the third quarter and two more in the fourth but could not find the equalizer despite some extremely close calls. With one minute remaining in the third,
Ashlynn Lennon blistered a shot through the legs of ESU keeper and reigning NFCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week Amy Supey, but Barbush was in position just in front of the cage with her stick flat against the turf for the save.
• With 9:15 remaining in the fourth,
Pili Zaballa fired a shot to the left of Supey, but again, Barbush deflected the ball away before it struck the cage. Later in the fourth,
Kate Strickland took an on-the-move shot from the left edge of the circle that zipped past Supey and into the body of an ESU defender, but the official called a foul on Millersville prior to the contact, negating a potential penalty stroke for the Marauders.
REACTION FROM HEAD COACH SHELLY BEHRENS
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On the team's performance: "It was a good game. It was a game we thought it would be. Honestly I thought it was best we've played. ESU got the W today. But it was one of our better team performances. Team defense,
Meredith Fagan,
Ashlynn Lennon were lights out. Our midfield and strikers did a great job. We did everything but score. Our heads are high. We are still playing for something."
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On if it felt unlucky considering how well the team played: "We had some corners and second chances. Credit to ESU. We make our own luck. We do it with how we prepare. I truly believe that we get better everyday. We will move on and prepare for our next game."
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On the missing element in the three close losses: "We have to be in those situations to learn from the situations. We have a group that is fairly young. Some of those haven't been there. They are learning and getting better. It would be different if we didn't have the performance we did tonight. It stinks we didn't get the win but we are going to keep getting better. Being in that situation, now they know. It's up to us to learn and collectively move forward."
NOTES
• East Stroudsburg's win secured it the No. 2 seed in the upcoming PSAC Tournament. Elsewhere, West Chester edged Kutztown 3-2 to move to 6-2 in the standings, slightly ahead of Millersville, each with a game to play. West Chester also owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with Millersville. A win at Seton Hill to close the regular season would put Millersville no lower than the No. 4 seed in the PSAC Tournament, guaranteeing a first-round home game.
UP NEXT
• Millersville closes the regular season Saturday, Oct. 30 at Seton Hill. Start time is 3 p.m.
