PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. — Despite a career-high 21 saves from sophomore Kaylise McClure (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem North) in her first collegiate start, the Mercy University Field Hockey Team dropped a hard-fought 4-3 double-overtime decision at Pace University in their NE10 opener on Wednesday afternoon.
The Mavericks (1-5, 0-1 NE10) have dropped four games in a row and fall to the Setters (1-4, 1-0 NE10) for the for the third straight year.
The first quarter saw Mercy's defense withstand several offensive pushes from Pace, highlighted by McClure's presence in goal. Despite multiple penalty corners taken by Pace's Carlotta Oschmann, Mercy's defense held firm, successfully blocking shots from Anne Kopec and Romy Manditsera. The quarter ended with a scoreless draw, underscoring the defensive resilience of both teams.
The second quarter began with both teams displaying strong defensive efforts, but it was Pace who managed to break through first at 25:52 with a goal by Feline Rook, assisted by Kyleigh Kearney. Mercy responded swiftly, equalizing the score at 26:26 when graduate student Jessica Evans (Canastota, N.Y./Canastota) found the back of the net for her first goal of the season. McClure proved crucial for Mercy, making several key saves, including a notable one against Kopec at 28:45, keeping the score level as the quarter concluded.
Mercy opened the third quarter with a strategic defensive effort, as McClure recorded multiple saves, thwarting numerous attempts by Pace, including a key shot by Rook at 38:40. After withstanding a barrage of shots and penalty corners from Pace, Mercy capitalized on their offensive opportunity at 40:28 when sophomore Charlotte Sabert (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) scored, assisted by sophomore Madison Brefka (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero North Syracuse), to push the lead to 2-1. This decisive goal marked the only scoring change of the quarter, allowing Mercy to maintain their advantage.
The final quarter began with Pace leveling the score at 2-2 after Olivia Martinez's goal at 46:57, assisted by Oschmann. Mercy responded swiftly when Brefka scored at 48:08, with Evans providing the crucial assist to regain a 3-2 lead. Despite a resilient defense from Mercy, including multiple saves by McClure, Pace tied the game 3-3 with a late goal by Kearney at 56:56, marking her first of the season.
Overtime began with Mercy's Gwendolyn Smith (Sound Beach, N.Y./Miller Place) taking an early shot at 61:10, which was saved by the Pace goalkeeper. The defensive prowess of Mercy was on display as McClure made multiple saves, including a crucial one against Kopec at 66:36, while Brefka executed a key defensive save off a shot by Rook at 66:21. Despite several penalty corners awarded to Pace, Mercy's defense held firm, maintaining the score at 3-3 through the end of the quarter.
In a tense overtime period, both teams generated early scoring opportunities. Sydney Sims of Pace had a shot saved by Mercy's goalkeeper, McClure, at 70:44, while Caitlyn Zabko of Pace denied two consecutive attempts by Mercy's Sabert at 71:22 and 71:26. Ultimately, Pace secured the victory with a goal by Manditsera at 74:01, assisted by Rook, concluding the overtime with a final score of 4-3.
Sabert scored her third goal of the season and Brefka added her third goal and first assist of the year. Evans also contributed her second goal and first assist. McClure, in goal, recorded a career-high 21 saves over 74 minutes of play. The 21 saves are the most by a Mercy goalie since Lauren Viscione recorded 21 saves against Pace on October 11, 2022.
Rook led Pace with a standout performance, registering one goal and one assist on 15 shots, with seven on target. Manditsera delivered a crucial game-winning goal in overtime while scoring one goal on two shots. Kearney contributed significantly, tallying both a goal and an assist, alongside five shots on target from ten attempts. Oschmann added an assist, enhancing play with two shots on goal.
Pace held a 47-6 edge in shots, a 26-6 edge in shots on goal and a 26-2 edge in penalty corners.
The next challenge for Mercy takes them on the road to face American International College on September 20 at 3 p.m. in Springfield, Mass.
