State College, Pa.- In a rare neutral site matchup, the Saint Francis Red Flash field hockey team lost to Ball State 2-0 to fall to 4-3 on the season.

Turning Point

In the 35^th minute, just before halftime, Ball State's Hillary Scott scored off a penalty corner to place the score at 2-0 where it stayed for the remainder of the match.

Highlights

·       The early minutes featured little scoring as both goalkeepers were barricades to any shots or penalty corners that ventured into their territories.

·       In the 27^th minute, Ball State's Darbi Gullett dribbled in and shot from the middle of the circle to break the ice for a 1-0 lead.

·        The turning point of the game, as previously mentioned, came just before halftime as Ball State capitalized on a penalty corner as Hillary Scott scored off an assist from Anya Eicher to make it 2-0 at halftime.

·       Saint Francis received a penalty corner in the 36^th minute but Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name)'s slashing shot was blocked by goalkeeper Grace Chavez.

·       The Red Flash earned a flurry of penalty corners between the 49^th and 53^rd minutes but all the shots were blocked by a blockade of Ball State defenders.

·       In turn, Ball State had multiple penalty corners which were turned back by goalkeeper Elizabeth Dyer (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) and her fellow Red Flash defenders.

·       In the 67^th minute, Ball State's Beth Barnes was whistled for a yellow card. The Red Flash, despite the numerical advantage and two penalty corners, were unable to break through for a score.

·       The game concluded after a wide shot by Kyra Castano (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin).

Notes

·       Both teams reached into the double digits for penalty corners. The Red Flash received 10 and Ball State had 11.

·       Ball State outshot Saint Francis 12 shots to eight.

·       Both goalkeepers played all 70 minutes in the cage and posted two saves each.

·       Six Red Flash players went the full distance with 70 minutes played.

Up Next

The Red Flash return to the friendly homestead of DeGol Field to defend it against the Minutewomen of Massachusetts on Friday, Sept 22 at 3PM and the Broncs of Rider on Sunday, Sept 24 at 1PM. UMass will be the first A-10 conference game of the year for the Red Flash.