MANSFIELD, Pa. – The No. 4-ranked Bloomsburg field hockey team secured home-field advantage in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a 1-0 road victory over No. 9-ranked Mansfield at Karl Van Norman Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Kate Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) recorded her eighth goal of the season to lead the Huskies to victory, scoring on a corner early in the second half. Jackie Nevel (Nescopeck, Pa./Berwick Area) posted four saves in her seventh shutout of the season.
 
It took over seven minutes for either side to register a shot attempt, as Mansfield (10-7, 4-4 PSAC) sent one wide halfway through the opening frame.
 
Bloomsburg (13-4, 5-3) turned the offense around on the Mountaineers late in the quarter, firing off five shots on four corners across an 84-second span. Mansfield's August Lewis turned the three shots on goal aside to keep the score even.
 
The score stayed even at 0-0 entering halftime as neither side posted a shot in the second quarter.
 
The maroon and gold earned a penalty corner early into the second quarter which saw Ferguson take the insert. The junior feed the ball to Bella Culp (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) who found the stick of Ferguson in front of the net to put the Huskies ahead 1-0.
 
Mansfield posted a pair of blocks on Bloomsburg next two chances before having Nevel turned aside their lone shot of the period.
 
The fourth quarter saw Bloomsburg post four shots in the opening five minutes but could not find a way past the Mountaineers' goalkeeper. Mansfield then tested Nevel with back-to-back stops, which the senior easily kicked away.
 
Bloomsburg held on for the win while posting a 14-8 advantage in shots and a 7-4 shots on goal advantage.
 
With the win, the Huskies secured home-field advantage in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.
 
Bloomsburg concludes the regular season on Friday, November 1 as they host Slippery Rock for Senior Day at 2 p.m. at Steph Pettit Stadium.