BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg field hockey team clinched a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament as the Huskies defeated Slippery Rock 2-1 on Senior day, Saturday afternoon. The Huskies finished the regular season 9-8 and 4-5 in PSAC action and claimed the No. 6 seed in the PSAC Tournament.
The Huskies struck first as senior
Meghan Longenhagen (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season at the 12:20 mark. Freshman
Kate Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) received a pass at the top of the circle and spun around to get the ball down to Longenhagen as she was positioned in front of the cage. Longenhagen settled the pass and pushed the ball into the far back corner for the 1-0 lead. Ferguson and junior
Emily Swineford (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) each put a shot on goal in the final seconds of the quarter but an excellent defensive effort by the Rock goalie, Grace Burker, kept it a 1-0 game in favor of Bloomsburg.
Slippery Rock got a goal back with under seven to play in the second quarter to tie the game at 1-1 after a save by senior
Abby Shaffer (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin). Senior
Sydney Derr (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) got a final shot off in the quarter but missed just wide, and the two teams went into the break tied 1-1.
Sophomore
Aydan McFarland (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) grabbed the lead back for the Huskies as she settled the ball at the top of the circle and dribbled into the front of the cage. McFarland drew the goalie off her line, to her left, and pushed the ball past her into the far corner for the 2-1 lead.
With less than six to play, the Rock had a final chance to re-tie the game, but Shaffer stuffed Gianna Conti's attempt. The Huskies put the final three shots of the match on cage but couldn't get an insurance goal. An extra goal wasn't needed as the Huskies held on to win 2-1.
Bloomsburg out-shot Slippery Rock 21-5 and held a 5-4 advantage in penalty corners. Shaffer finished the day with three saves to her counterpart Burker's 11.
Prior to and after the game, the Huskies honored their
Sydney Derr (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh),
Bri Doebler (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area),
Meghan Longenhagen (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia),
Abby Shaffer (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), and
Carlee Williams (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin).
The Huskies are the No. 6 seed in the PSAC Tournament and await the tiebreakers to shake out to find out their opponent for the first-round contest on Tuesday.
