STOCKTON, Calif. – Despite outshooting its opponent 14-7 in the game, the #17 UAlbany field hockey team fell in overtime in the America East semifinal round to tournament host Pacific 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
UAlbany (14-6) led after 45 minutes before Pacific (16-4) added the equalizer minutes later. In overtime, Kriekie van Wyk scored from Savannah Burns 3:29 in to get the golden goal victory for Pacific.
The defeat ended UAlbany's chance for a third straight America East Tournament title and the team's four-game winning streak.
Megan Ma and Viola Von der Mühlen scored goals in the eighth and 45th minutes of the game respectively, with Paula Heuser and Dana Bozek picking up assists. Maxi Primus saved three shots in the defeat.
For Pacific, which will play Stanford in the America East title game, Leah Cofer and Kyleigh Morrison each had goals, along with van Wyk. Laura Pujade got the victory in goal with seven saves.
After getting a couple of penalty corners but not getting a shot off, Heuser went from left to right on the field in the 7th minute. She fired a pass towards the cage to Ma for the tip-in shot and score, making it 1-0 UAlbany.
Off a restart, Pacific got the ball near the post to pull off Primus. A pass to Kilfoil was hit into the net close range for a 1-1 tie in the 9th minute.
UAlbany kept firing on penalty corners, with a shot by Heuser just wide of the left post in the 24th minute, and another chance by Frederike Helmke being stopped by Pujade on a kick in the 26th minute.
The Great Danes nearly added another in closing minutes of the first off a redirected penalty corner in the 30th minute, but Pujade made the save. The teams went into halftime tied at 1-1.
Into the second half, Anna Bottino got on a breakaway and went down the end line, trying to score but was saved by the keeper while surround by Pacific defenders.
Minute 45 saw another penalty corner for UAlbany. Heuser stopped the pass for Bozek, who blazed a pass towards the post. Von der Mühlen tipped the pass into the net to put UAlbany up 2-1.
Pacific again countered quickly, scoring on a high arc shot from Morrison off a penalty corner to make it 2-2 in minute 48.
With a player up, UAlbany drew a penalty corner as Bozek fired a shot on cage, with Pujade making the save high.
In the 66th minute, Kriekie Van Wyk got down into the half-circle on a breakaway. Primus emerged from the cage and knocked away her shot. Seconds later, off a penalty corner, van Wyk got off a high shot, which was blocked out-of-bounds by Primus. The game went into overtime at 2-2.
After a foul three minutes into overtime, Burns grounded a ball from outside the half-circle towards the net. Kriekie van Wyk deflected the ball into the net from close range for the score, giving Pacific the 3-2 victory.
UAlbany will hope for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection show is on Sunday, November 6th at 10:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
