Ball State Wins Thriller in OT
Friday’s Scoreboard
Ball State 3, Ohio 2
Saint Francis 3, Appalachian State 2
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ball State 3, Ohio 2
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State field hockey redshirt sophomore Rachel Pereira hit the game-winning goal in double overtime to push the Cardinals past Ohio University by a score of 3-2 Friday afternoon at the Briner Sports Complex.
"I am really excited a lot of hard work obviously has gone into the season thus far," Ball State head field hockey coach Stephanie Bernthal said. "It is great to be on the other side of it. Ohio played a great game. It was definitely a battle it could have ended a little earlier so we still have a lot of details to take care of but certainly excited with the outcome. We worked a lot this week on defensive discipline and taking care of those details. This team is so resilient and they are such hard workers. I am just so proud of their heart."
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 2-10 overall and 2-1 in Mid-American Conference action while the Bobcats fall to 4-5 on the season and 2-1 in league action.
Pereira netted the game-winning goal 5:47 into the double overtime frame after aggressively attacking the circle. Pereira also got help from redshirt sophomore Sierra Jefferson and senior Anya Eicher who were both awarded with assists. The goal was Pereira's third of the season.
It was a defensive battle in the opening minutes of play. The Cardinals finally broke through off of a shot from Jefferson to take an early 1-0 lead over the Bobcats at the 20:55 mark. Ball State held Ohio scoreless for the first 35 minutes of regulation to take their lead in intermission.
Ohio evened the game quickly with just two minutes shaved off the clock in the second frame. But Ball State would answer back, as senior Beth Barnes found the cage to put Ball State back up, 2-1. Just when you thought the game was over, Ohio knotted the game again just minutes after the Cardinals had scored, sending the contest into overtime.
The Cardinals had three corners in the first overtime but struggled to score. After that, the game went into a second overtime where Ball State would seal the contest.
The Ball State field hockey team returns to the road next weekend when it plays at Kent State (Oct. 12) and at Big Ten foe Michigan (Oct. 14). Both contests are set to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
Saint Francis 3, Appalachian State 2
Box Score
BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University field hockey (4-9, 0-3 MAC) suffered its third-straight overtime defeat 3-2 to the Saint Francis Red Flash Friday night at Adcock Field.
The Mountaineers applied the pressure early in the first half, resulting in a flurry of shots on goal. Freshman Friederike Stegen was a force in the midfield, helping put the Black and Gold up 1-0 less than three minutes into the game. Saint Francis quickly responded with two goals, notching a pair of scores just 16 minutes into the contest.
The Red Flash held a 2-1 advantage at halftime, but the Mountaineers responded, outshooting Saint Francis 11-4 in the second half. In the 56th minute, sophomore Veerle Van Heertum made the breakthrough, rifling a shot from the top left of the circle to knot the scoreline at 2-2.
"Physically, she couldn't make that shot last year," head coach Meghan Dawsonsaid. "It's something we worked on in the spring and something she went home and worked on. It's awesome to see the development in a player like that and to see the small things matter in a really big moment."
Brea Seabrook netted the game-winner in overtime off of the Red Flash's first penalty corner since the opening period. Seabrook secured a brace for Saint Francis, also scoring her first goal of the night off a penalty corner.
Appalachian earned seven of its eight penalty corners in the second half. The Black and Gold limited Saint Francis only to five, but the Red Flash converted on two of those opportunities.
Van Heertum led the way for Appalachian with eight shots, four shots on target and a goal. Stegen finished with one goal and four shots, two of which were on frame.
Redshirt-sophomore Madison Nuckols made her third-career start in the goal cage, notching a career-high 11 saves while facing 16 total shots from the visitors.
"She's definitely developing, and goalkeeping is a hard position," Dawson said. "It's hard to make decisions and make judgments. She's got a really good group around her that's supporting her and trying to give her some confidence."
Friday's defeat marked the first time Appalachian has lost a Friday night contest. The Mountaineers were 3-0 entering the evening.
The Black and Gold return to action Sunday at Wake Forest. The Mountaineers' first road game since Sept. 14 is set to start at 1 p.m. in Winston-Salem.
