MANSFIELD, Pa. – In a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Bloomsburg field hockey team rose to the occasion as the Huskies took down #9 Mansfield, 2-1, Wednesday afternoon. With the win, Bloomsburg improved to 8-6 on the year and 3-3 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contests, while the Mounties dropped to 7-8 and 1-5 in conference play.
 
Senior Carlee Williams (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) got things started right away for the Huskies. The Huskies worked the ball down the field, and a whistle gave BU the ball after the Mountie foul. Williams took the ball on the restart, weaved her way through several Mansfield defenders, and took a shot from just inside the circle, which went through the legs of the goalie to give Bloomsburg a 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into action.

The Mansfield offense went to work with five minutes to play in the opening quarter and put three shots on cage off a pair of penalty corners. Senior Abby Shaffer (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) stopped all three attempts to keep the Mounties off the board. Mansfield earned another penalty corner with less than four minutes to play, and the Bloomsburg defense blocked Saramae Radel's shot. Lotte Dams' shot at the end of the quarter faced the same fate as Bloomsburg's backline kept the ball away from Shaffer and the cage.
 
Shaffer made four more saves to start the second quarter, and sophomore Meg Barnard (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) lent a hand to her goalie with a defensive save just over five minutes into the period. The Mounties finally found a hole on their 14^th shot of the first half as Kenedy Stroup scored off a penalty corner. Shaffer stopped Radel's initial shot, and Stroup collected the rebound to tie the game 1-1 with less than nine to play in the half.
 
Neither team could get a shot off before the halftime horn, and the game went into the break tied 1-1.
 
The two teams played a scoreless first 10 minutes of the third quarter before a penalty corner for the Huskies set up the game-winning goal. Senior Sydney Derr's (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) first shot after senior Bri Doebler (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) inserted the ball was saved by defender Hannah Meyer. Derr stayed in the play, grabbed her own rebound, and lifted the ball over the defense to place it in the cage for the 2-1 lead with 4:07 to play in the third.
 

Check out senior Sydney Derr's (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) game-winning goal with less than five to play in the 3rd quarter against #9 Mansfield on Wednesday!

FULL GAME RECAP: https://t.co/AbNzE2ylbZ#Unleashed pic.twitter.com/fU4exGEPW1

— BU Huskies (@GoBUHuskies) October 27, 2022

 
The Mounties had one last chance to tie the game with nine minutes to play, but the Bloomsburg defense spoiled Mansfield's last penalty corner and allowed just a shot to go wide. The Huskies rode out the final eight minutes of action and won 2-1.
 
Mansfield out-shot the Huskies 17-6 for the game, including an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Shaffer finished the day with nine saves, while Barnard picked up the solo defensive save for the Huskies. The Mounties had a 10-2 advantage in penalty corners.
 
The Bloomsburg defense held Mansfield to just three shots in the second half after they had 14 in the first half.
 
Bloomsburg is currently tied for the sixth and final spot for the PSAC Tournament as the Huskies hit the road for the last time during the regular season on Saturday. The Huskies travel to #1 Shippensburg University for a PSAC contest at 12:00 p.m.