ATHENS, Ohio – Although Missouri State (0-1) held Saint Francis scoreless in the second half, the Missouri State field hockey team dropped its season opener in a 2-0 shutout in Athens, Ohio, Sunday afternoon.
 
Saint Francis (1-1) got on the board early with a goal in the sixth minute of the match. Brianna Govia of the Red Flash scored the game-winning goal off of a deflected shot from a corner play to put Saint Francis up 1-0.
 
Just before the half, the Red Flash struck again, furthering their lead to 2-0 off of an unassisted shot by Mackenzie Ruth in the 21^st minute.
 
Despite the 2-0 loss, members of Missouri State's squad showed excellent defensive skills, keeping the Red Flash from causing further damage. Sophomores Emily Tran and Feli Heinzel were strongholds for the Bear defense, making several stops during the match. Heinzel finished the first match of the season with four saves.
 
Who Stood Out?

• #27 Emily Tran – The San Diego native made several key defensive plays in the match including pivotal stops during three separate SFU corners and four separate scoring threats.
• #39 Feli Heinzel – The sophomore goalkeeper started off the season making four saves. One key save came off a SFU corner, in a diving effort to prevent the Red Flash from pulling ahead 3-0.

Scoring Recap

• SFU – 6:41, goal off deflected shot from corner play
• SFU – 20:35, goal off unassisted shot

What's Up Next?
The Bears return to the pitch tomorrow (Aug. 29) in a rematch against Saint Francis beginning at 11 a.m. (CST). Live updates will be available via Twitter (MSUBearsFHockey) and Facebook (Missouri State Field Hockey).