SPRINGFIELD, Mass. The American International College field hockey team suffered a tough 5-4 overtime loss to Southern Connecticut State in a Northeast-10 conference tilt Tuesday afternoon at Abdow Field.
With the loss the Yellow Jackets fall to 5-4, 0-1 in the NE-10, while with the win SCSU improves to 2-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
Down a goal with 10:34 left, Southern sophomore Lauren Anderson (Cheshire, Conn.) netted her second goal of the game to tie it at four apiece where the clock would run out, sending it to overtime.
Owl senior Sarah Cebry (Burlington, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal with 2:23 left in overtime to complete the SCSU rally.
Anderson led off the scoring in the 27th minute to put the Owls on the board first, but Yellow Jacket freshman forward Emily Chang (Phoenixville, Pa.) knotted the score at one in the 29th minute off a penalty corner assisted by junior Jenna Masionis (Ashland, Mass.).
Southern Connecticut freshman Alicia Morgan (Stafford, Conn.) put the Owls back on top 57 seconds after Chang's equalizer, scoring off a penalty corner.
AIC sophomore Kaylin Harbin (Stroudsburg, Pa.) scored to tie the contest at 2-2 with no time on the clock with a penalty stroke.
Masionis, who netted a hat-trick at Southern Connecticut earlier this season, came out and scored in the first 46 seconds of the second half to put the Yellow Jackets up 3-2.
Freshman Owl Jaime Matson (East Hartland, Conn.) tied it up, once again, in the 46th minute as the game continued to see-saw back-and-forth.
Masionis would respond quickly again, this time hitting the back of the net a mere 52 seconds after Matson's tying goal, but Anderson would tie it up and send it to overtime.
Momentum was never really gained by either team. AIC would take a two-goal lead right after the halftime break, but the Owls were always quick to respond. The Yellow Jackets won the shot total, barely, 25-23, in a very close game from start to finish.
AIC senior goalkeeper Kori Huffman (Brattleboro, Vt.) tallied 11 saves in the loss, while across the field sophomore Owl keeper Audrey Dolloff (Raynham, Mass.) stopped 10 shots, adding to her league-best total.
AIC returns to action Saturday, October 5 when they travel to Manchester, N.H. to take on Saint Anselm in a NE-10 showdown slated to start at 1 p.m.
