#15 UAlbany Falls in Overtime to 7th-Ranked Ohio State, 2-1, in NCAA Tournament Game

State Park, Pa. - Paula Pastor-Pitarque scored an overtime goal with 4:11 to play to lead #7 Ohio State to a 2-1 victory over #15 UAlbany in the first round of the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Penn State Nittany Lion Field Hockey Complex. It was the Great Danes' seventh overtime game of the season and just the second loss in extra time, as UAlbany fell to Big Ten opponent Michigan earlier this season.

UAlbany held a 1-0 advantage after one half of play, behind a Daphne Voormolen goal. The Great Danes second penalty corner opportunity came as time expired, and the offense converted, with Voormolen's shot ricocheting off Ohio State goalkeeper Ally Tunitis and into the back of the cage. The Buckeyes had controlled most of the play in the first half, outshooting the Great Danes, 10-2. UAlbany starting goalkeeper Christine Hoffman made five saves, keeping the Ohio State offense at bay.

After a more evenly played second half, Ohio State capitalized on a penalty corner with 1:30 left on the clock. Paula Pastor-Pitarque took assists from Berta Queral and Aisling Coyle and smashed a hard shot into the bottom left corner of the cage. UAlbany attempted to get the ball into the offensive end of the field, but the Buckeye defense held solid for the final minute to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, UAlbany had two close opportunities to end the game. Ohio State drew a penalty corner, but Ashlyn Bach flew out of the cage to take the ball away from the Buckeye offense. Bach passed the ball off to Christina Patrick, who was all alone on the offensive end, Suzy Clephane brought the ball into the circle, but her shot hit the post. A few minutes later, defender Taylor Luke carried the ball into the circle, but her shot went wide to give Ohio State another opportunity.

Ohio State (17-4) outshot UAlbany, 18-7, including 5-2 in the overtime period. The Buckeyes also held an 8-4 advantage in penalty corners. Tunitis stopped four shots in a complete-game effort for Ohio State, while Hoffman and Troch combined for seven saves in the cage. Luke also made two defensive saves for the Great Danes.

UAlbany wraps up the 2010 season with a 15-6 overall record, after claiming their fourth regular season title and the program's second America East Conference Championship.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information