MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 3) – In a semifinal match of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship, Lander edges Mount Olive in the last second of the match to fall by a 1-0 margin on Friday afternoon at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive field hockey team ends its postseason run for a SAC Championship title with a 15-2 overall record, the best in program history. This season, the Trojans held the longest win streak in DII field hockey with a 15-game winning streak. Mount Olive also posted its highest national ranking this season and earned its first ever regional ranking under Head Coach Daan Polders. Meanwhile, the Bearcats improve to 12-6 and claimed its first win over UMO to punch their ticket to Championship Sunday to face Limestone at 2 p.m.

The first half of the match was off to a slow start as only three shots were taken in the first 30 minutes of play. Although both teams had a penalty corner opportunities, they were not able to capitalize, and the score remained 0-0 going into halftime. At the start of the second half, Lander and Mount Olive saw no shot opportunities. During the last frame of the match, both teams created the most offensive opportunities they could before the clock hit zero. With shots by junior Amber Dercksen, sophomore Jule Schuurman, and junior Annefleur Moerkerken, the Trojans were unable to put one past the keeper. Just when the match was about to head to overtime, the Bearcats snuck the ball into the back of the cage at the 59:59 mark of the match to earn it the win, 1-0.

Senior goalkeeper Alanna Barrett finished the contest with three saves while playing all 60 minutes.

UMO finished with an 8-4 shot advantage while also holding a 6-3 edge in penalty corners.

Mount Olive will learn if it receives one of three spots in the Atlantic Region for the NCAA Tournament, when the six-team field is announced during the selection show on Monday, Nov. 6 at 3 p.m.