Garden City, N.Y. -- Junior Elizabeth Mercuri scored the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Adelphi University field hockey team on Friday afternoon, leading the Panthers past Lindenwood University (Mo.), 4-3 in overtime.

The No. 9 ranked Panthers (9-4) trailed 2-0 after six minutes and trailed 3-2 at halftime against the Lions (8-3). A successfully executed penalty stroke from Lena Pollich got the Panthers on the board, and Adelphi's second goal in the first half came off the stick of Elissa Frein for her ninth score of the season. Junior goalkeeper Amanda Gargiulo faced 16 shots, and made a career-high 11 saves, while Jamie Ahrens also tallied a defensive save late in the second half with the game tied.

Just two minutes into the game, Lindenwood's leading scorer Tara Robben broke away from the pack and beat Gargiulo on a one-on-one chance for the first goal of the game, with Greta Banholzer taking her own rebound into the cage five minutes later to double the visitors' lead.

However, in the 22nd minute, the momentum started to turn towards Adelphi, as the Panthers were awarded a penalty stroke with Pollich successfully beating Lions' keeper Skylar Starbeck to her left to halve the deficit. The Brown and Gold tied the game eight minutes later, as Frein beat Starbeck again to the left to tie the game at 2-2. Nonetheless, the Lions got back on top quickly, as Graycen Dave took a one touch cross shot past Gargiulo just 1:19 later to put the Lions on top, 3-2, at halftime.

Adelphi's offensive pressure continued to start the second half, and the Brown and Gold found the equalizer after three penalty corners. After a scrum for the ball around the cage, Mercuri dove into a shot for the game-tying score at the 42:55 mark. With both teams looking to win in regulation, it was Gargiulo who came up big, stopping eight total shots, with Ahrens making her defensive save with just 34 ticks on the clock, to send the game into overtime. 

The Panthers had all the momentum in the extra period, as they took six total shots looking to win the game. This time, the Lions' Amelia Rodriguez tallied a defensive save, while Starbeck added three to keep Adelphi off the board. Nonetheless, Mercuri would not be denied, as she took a pass from Ahrens off the left post and in off a penalty corner to win the game for the Brown and Gold.

NOTES
- Gargiulo's previous career-high in saves was nine, in last season's Northeast-10 Conference semifinals vs. Stonehill (11/6/15).
- Adelphi ends its season with four of five games on the road.

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons, has collected 18 regular season conference titles, 22 tournament championships, 29 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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