Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Princeton
Pritchard's OT Goal Lifts Field Hockey to 1-0 Victory at No. 14 Princeton
9/14/2014 5:36:00 PM | Field Hockey
PRINCETON, N.J. – Amie Pritchard scored her second goal of the season 2:15 into overtime to break a scoreless tie and lift the Bucknell field hockey team to an exciting 1-0 victory at No. 14 Princeton Sunday afternoon. It was the fourth straight victory for the Bison, who have shut out each of their last three opponents.
After neither team scored in the 70 minutes of regulation, it took Pritchard little time to give Bucknell the victory. She took a pass from Kelsey Mucelli and ran just inside the circle and fired a long-range shot that skipped past diving Princeton (0-4) goalkeeper Anya Gershoff and into the left side of the goal.
“I am really excited about the win and extremely proud of our entire team for an incredible defensive effort,” praised Bison head coach Jeremy Cook. “We did a good job limiting Princeton's scoring opportunities by being smart and tough in all the right ways. This is obviously a big win for us and I hope it builds our confidence that we can compete and win games against this type of team.”
Princeton is the 15th ranked opponent for Bucknell since the beginning of the 2011 season as Cook always likes to challenge his team.
Junior goalie Shannon Keen helped the Bison record their third straight shutout and extend their scoreless streak to 217 minutes, 23 seconds. It is the first time Bucknell has had three straight shutouts since 1999 and it is the longest scoreless stretch for opponents since that same 1999 squad went 250:51 between allowing goals.
Keen recorded a career-high seven saves, including four in the second half, as she lowered her goals-against average to 1.02. The Tigers attempted 10 shots in the game, but none in overtime.
Bucknell was held to just five shots in regulation by the Princeton defense. A Cassie Lawrence shot went wide in the first minute of overtime, while Pritchard's hard shot ended the contest.
The Bison, who have scored the majority of their goals this season in penalty corner situations, were limited to three penalty corner chances.
Bucknell is the third Patriot League school to defeat a ranked opponent this season. Lafayette upset No. 13 Boston College in August, while American has wins over nationally ranked Old Dominion and Michigan State.
With a 4-1 record, the Bison are off to their best start to a season since 2006.
After playing its first five games on the road, Bucknell will begin a four-game homestand Saturday, Sept. 20, with an 11 a.m. game against Temple at Graham Field.
