KENT, Ohio — In a game that came down to the final moments, Bellarmine field hockey made history Friday afternoon, knocking off Kent State 3-2 in overtime at Murphy-Mellis Field for the first victory over the Golden Flashes in program history.
Luna Tuncay delivered the decisive moment, finding the back of the cage in overtime to lift the Knights to a hard-fought Mid-American Conference victory and give Bellarmine a milestone win on the road.
Kent State struck first at 10:38 in the opening quarter, but Bellarmine responded in the second. Brooke Buchanan buried the equalizer at 18:18 off an assist from Amy Stripling, sending the teams into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
The Knights came out of the break ready to take control. Just over a minute into the third quarter, Dominique Hudson put Bellarmine in front, finishing a scoring opportunity created by Annie McCarthy at 31:21. The goal gave the Knights a 2-1 advantage and put them in position to earn a historic result.
Kent State answered at 39:04, however, as Sophia Livingston evened the score at 2-2. Neither side could find the go-ahead goal during the remainder of regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
With the game on the line, Bellarmine continued to battle through a back-and-forth extra period. The Knights finally broke through at 71:28 when Tuncay found the cage to seal the 3-2 victory and send Bellarmine home with a program-first win over Kent State.
The Knights were outshot 23-11, but goalkeeper Megan Clauser came up with four saves to help Bellarmine weather the Golden Flashes' offensive pressure. Bellarmine also made its opportunities count, scoring on three of its seven shots on goal.
The victory moves Bellarmine to 2-7 overall and 2-2 in MAC play, adding a historic chapter to the program's season as the Knights continue conference action. The Knights return to action on Tuesday, October 6th at Trager Stadium against Louisville.
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