BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The No. 4 Bloomsburg field hockey dropped a back-and-forth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest, 4-3, to Mansfield in the final second on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Bloomsburg (13-4, 4-4) managed to withstand early pressure from Mansfield (10-6, 4-4), as the Mountaineers outshot the Huskies 4-0 in the opening quarter.
 
The maroon and gold struck first just under two minutes into the second quarter as junior Lillie Weaver (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) fired a penalty stroke into the top right corner to give Bloomsburg the 1-0 lead.
 
The Mounties responded 96 seconds later with a goal from Ella Du Plessis to tie the game. Nearing the end of the half, Alex Esterling fired a shot on net that found its way past junior goalkeeper Jackie Nevel (Nescopeck, Pa./Berwick Area), but senior Olivia Shoemaker (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) kept the game tied with her first defensive save of the season.
 
With 33 seconds remaining in the half, the officials awarded Mansfield with a penalty stroke. On the attempt Saramae Radel looked to deposit the ball into the top right corner, but Nevel came up big with a crucial stick save to keep the game tied going into halftime.
 
The Mountaineers took their first lead of the game just 13 seconds into the half with a goal from Esterling.
 
The Huskies answered back just two minutes later with a goal from freshman Genna Bush (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs).
 
Bloomsburg took the lead once more with a goal from senior Emily Swineford (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) that was assisted by fellow senior Sam Schaffer (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal).
 
The Mounties once again took just a few minutes to even the score, this time with a goal from Blaise Cugini.
 
With one second remaining on the clock, a corner was awarded to Mansfield. Among the traffic in front of the net, Esterling recorded her second goal of the game to lift the Mountaineers over the Huskies.
 
The spirited contest saw a total of five greens cards and five yellow cards. Four of the yellow cards came in the final quarter of the game.
 
Despite the loss, Bloomsburg will clinch a spot in the PSAC tournament if Millersville loses to Kutztown on Wednesday, October 25.
 
The Huskies conclude the regular season on Friday, October 27 as they travel for a 4 PM matchup with Slippery Rock.