FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mansfield upset bid falls short in 4-3 loss in PSAC semifinal 

BLOOMSBURG – Underdog Mansfield got goals from Kylie Davis, Kristy Tutorow and Kristyn Grunza and had a game-tying shot rejected in the final minute in a 4-3 loss to No. 3 ranked Bloomsburg in a semifinal game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Field Hockey Championship Friday afternoon at Bloomsburg's Sports Stadium. 

“We played like we belonged in a championship tournament,” said head coach Diane Monkiewicz. “You could definitely see the confidence on our player's faces during the game and that confidence just increased as the game progressed.” 

It was truly an impressive and gutsy performance for a Mountaineer team that was beset with injuries and struggled over the last third of the season. 

Mansfield turned away a Bloom scoring opportunity off a penalty corner in the first minute of the game and took the early lead just over a minute later when Mansfield freshman Kylie Davis took a pass from Talena Truitt on a penalty corner and put the ball into the left corner of the net for a 1-0 Mansfield lead. It was Davis's first collegiate goal.
 
Bloomsburg tied the score on a goal by Ashley Miller off an assist from Betsy Renn in the ninth minute and took a 2-1 lead just over a minute later on a goal by Amanda Riley. 

Strong defensive play by both teams kept the score 2-1 at halftime before Mansfield tied the game at 2-2 less than two minutes into the second half on a goal by Kristy Tutorow on an assist from Sarah Zwick. 

The score remained deadlocked at 2-2 until Bloomsburg's Riley got her second goal of the game off a pass from Ashley Miller in the 48th minute. The Huskies went up 4-2 six minutes later on a goal by Jenna DiSabation from Riley. 

But Mansfield refused to fold, closing the gap to 4-3 less than a minute later on a high chip shot from 15 yards out by Kristyn Grunza. 

In the final 10 minutes, the Mountaineer defense, anchored by freshman goalie Kristie Rollman, stopped five Bloomsburg shots including one on a defensive save. With 90 seconds to play, Mansfield took just its second penalty corner of the game but freshman Brianna Velepec's game-tying shot was stopped by Bloomsburg goalie Meghan Hollenbach for her only save of the afternoon. 

It was a remarkable performance for a young Mountaineer – Mansfield has no seniors on its roster -- team that had suffered a 12-1 loss to Bloomsburg at the same field weeks earlier. 

Mansfield scored on three of its six shots in the game while Rollman turned back 12 of Bloomsburg's 20 shots. Bloomsburg also held a 11-2 advantage on penalty corners. 

Tutorow recorded her 15th goal of the season, the fifth most in MU history. She also had 33 points on the year which also ranks fifth in school history. Grunza picked up her 12th goal, the eighth most in school history while becoming just the fifth player to record 30 points during a season. 

East Stroudsburg upset unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Shippensburg 2-1 in the other semifinal to advance to Saturday's championship game with Bloomsburg.

Mansfield University (6-15) vs. Bloomsburg (17-2)
Date: Nov 19, 2010 Attendance: 145
Weather: Sunny, breezy, high 40s

Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Mansfield University 1 2 - 3
Bloomsburg.......... 2 2 - 4

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 3:09 MANS Kylie Davis (Talena Truitt) - left box off corner
2. 9:18 BLOOM Ashley Miller (Betsy Renn) - bottom left off corner
3. 10:39 BLOOM Amanda Riley (unassisted) - bottom left of goal
4. 36:52 MANS Kristy Tutorow (Sarah Zwick)
5. 48:59 BLOOM Amanda Riley (Ashley Miller) - 15 yards out to left box
6. 54:58 BLOOM Jenna DiSabatino (Amanda Riley) - left box 5 yards out
7. 55:56 MANS Kristyn Grunza (unassisted) - shot from 15 yards out high chip

Shots: Mansfield University 6, Bloomsburg 20
Saves: Mansfield University 14 (Kristie Rollman 12; TEAM 2),
Bloomsburg 1 (Meghan Hollenbach 1)
Bloomsburg will advance to face East Stroudsburg in the PSAC
Championship at 1:00 pm