 
 
 |
Brittany Owens recorded her second game-winning goal in as many days as IUP downed Bloomsburg 4-3 in overtime to claim the first PSAC field hockey championship in school history. The Crimson Hawks lost leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before prevailing in the first overtime period when Owens took a feed from Barbara Heemelaar and put it past Bloomsburg goalkeeper Allison Ziants with 12:27 expired in the period. Owens also scored the game winner in a 1-0 victory over Shippensburg in the semifinals on Friday with a goal with 19.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Despite allowing three goals in the second half, IUP goalkeeper Lydia Dolly also registered 21 saves to deny the Huskies on several good scoring opportunities. Bloomsburg held a 27-20 edge in shots and took 16 penalty corners to only five for the Crimson Hawks. Ziants made seven saves for the Huskies. IUP seemed to be on its way to its third victory without a loss against Bloomsburg this season, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first half.
But the Huskies were not about to relinquish their conference title without a battle, scoring twice in the opening 13:25 of the second half to create a 2-2 tie. Ashley Heckard and Chelsea Due scored the goals and also had assists on the other’s goal. IUP took the lead back four minutes later on a goal by Heemelaar, her sixth of the year, assisted by Liz Marosky. But again Bloomsburg battled back to tie the game, with Heckard’s second goal of the game and 24th of the season making it 3-3 with 7:37 left. Due added her second assist of the game on the tying tally. Playing six-on-six in the sudden death overtime, IUP finally took a lead the Huskies couldn’t overcome when Heemelaar made a perfect feed to Owens, who easily put the ball past Ziants for her seventh goal of the season and giving the Crimson Hawks their long-awaited conference title. IUP now heads into the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall. With their PSAC championship, the Crimson Hawks are in solid contention to host the NCAA Final Four Nov. 9 and 11. The selection of the six teams in the NCAA field and host school will be announced on Monday.
|
Owens
(right with head coach Rutger Wiese) also assisted on the first IUP goal
against Bloomsburg and was named the tournament MVP. The Crimson Hawks
won their first conference title in their third trip to the championship
game. Bloomsburg was in its seventh straight final and was seeking its
15th league crown.
Liz
Martini (pictured middle with senior teammates Carrie Stork and Wendy
Strohl) scored her team-leading 16th goal of the year,
assisted by Owens, and Wendy Strohl tipped in a shot by Kellen Yoder for
her third goal to put the Crimson Hawks in front by two with 13:17 left
before intermission.