Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Devin Muracco drained her first career goal just over seven minutes into play and Abbey Lawrence put the La Salle field hockey team up 2-0 in the 13th minute, but Sacred Heart stormed back with three second half goals and eked out the 4-3 decision in overtime on Friday night in Fairfield, Conn.

Mariel Papa added a goal for the Explorers in the second half, her team-leading fourth of the season.

Sacred Heart's Christine Mace recorded a five-point night, including the game-tying and game-winning goals.

The Explorers (1-4) bolted out to a 2-0 lead with two goals in a five-minute span. Muracco scored an unassisted goal when she took a shot from the top of the circle on the right side at the 7:24 mark.

Lawrence converted her second goal of the season at 12:39. Senior Jessica Deaner sent a shot in to the front, finding Lawrence who struck the ball into the right corner to put the squad up 2-0.

The Explorers held the Pioneers (3-2) to just one shot  through the first 26 minutes of play and kept them off the board through the first half. However, the Pioneers came out firing after the break as Mace fed Danielle Gallagher for a score just 1:35 into the second half. The home squad continued to control play, taking three penalty corners. Liz Bergman converted on the third penalty corner to knot the score at 2-2 at 45:23.

Papa put the Explorers back on top a few minutes later, blasting home a rebound off of an Olivia Shoemaker shot attempt at 51:55.

The lead was short-lived as Mace found a loose ball and sent it into the cage to knot the score at 3-3 less than two minutes later.

Both squads had opportunities to finish it in regulation. The Explorers took two penalty corners but the subsequent shots were off the mark. The Pioneers also attempted a shot off of a penalty corner, but La Salle keeper Lisa Shaffer came up with the stop.

Sacred Heart controlled play in the overtime period, firing off back-to-back shots in the 75th minute. Shaffer saved one and Olivia Leaman came up with a defensive stop. Shaffer stopped one more in the 78th minute when Bergman attempted a shot off of a penalty corner.

Colleen Kempf got an opportunity to win it for the Explorers, but her shot was blocked in the 79th minute.

The Pioneers converted in the 82nd minute when Mace found herself on a breakaway and drained the game-winning goal at 81:14.

Shaffer recorded nine saves in the effort, while Pioneer keeper Mary Altepeter made seven saves.

The Explorers remain in Connecticut through the weekend, playing at Fairfield on Sunday at noon.