LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine field hockey built a two-goal advantage early in the second half, but Ohio answered with three unanswered goals to rally past the Knights 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium.
Bellarmine (1-7, 1-2) carried momentum from Friday's win into Sunday, striking first in the opening quarter. After the Knights earned back-to-back penalty corners, Yasmine Bounoua had an initial attempt blocked before Brooke Buchanan found the back of the cage at the 9:53 mark. Luna Tuncay provided the assist as Buchanan's first goal of the season gave Bellarmine a 1-0 advantage.
The Knights maintained that one-goal lead through halftime behind a strong defensive effort. Ohio generated a pair of penalty corners late in the second quarter, but goalkeeper Megan Clauser turned away a shot from Deborah James and the Bellarmine defense kept the Bobcats off the board.
Bellarmine wasted little time adding to its lead after the break. A penalty corner in the 33rd minute created a flurry of chances in front of goal, with Bounoua having two shots blocked before Dominique Hudson finished the sequence at 32:28 to put the Knights ahead 2-0.
The two-goal cushion was short-lived, however, as Ohio responded less than two minutes later. Mia Scheulen scored off an assist from James at 34:19, and Natalie LaFleur followed with the equalizer at 36:11 to erase Bellarmine's advantage and send the match into the fourth quarter tied 2-2.
The Bobcats (4-4, 2-1) applied pressure in the final period, but Clauser kept the Knights level with saves in the 51st and 52nd minutes. Ohio eventually broke through with 3:35 remaining when Scheulen scored her second goal of the afternoon, again assisted by James, to give the Bobcats their first lead at 3-2.
Bellarmine responded with a late push and generated several opportunities to find an equalizer. The Knights earned four penalty corners over the final three minutes, including three in the final minute. Amy Stripling and Cami Paris each put shots on goal during the closing stretch, but Ohio goalkeeper Molly Schreiner made both saves to preserve the one-goal victory.
The final numbers reflected the back-and-forth nature of the contest. Ohio held a narrow 13-12 advantage in shots, while both teams earned eight penalty corners. Bellarmine put five shots on goal compared to eight for the Bobcats, and Clauser finished with five saves. Buchanan and Hudson accounted for the Knights' goals, while Tuncay recorded Bellarmine's lone assist.
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