READING, Pa. - The Bryn Mawr field hockey squad had waited 667 days to get back into intercollegiate competition - why not play some bonus hockey? The Owls controlled Thursday's contest at Albright for long stretches and outshot the Lions 11-2 in the contest. However, some tremendous defense by the hosts held Bryn Mawr scoreless, and the game required overtime to find a decisive result. However, the Owls pressure finally broke through, as Courtney Cutone deflected home a goal off of a penalty corner to give Bryn Mawr a 1-0 victory on the night.

The game opened as a defensive struggle, with plenty of play in the midfield and few scoring chances for either side. The Owls got an early opportunity on a penalty corner just three minutes into the contest but nothing came of that chance. Midway through the quarter, it was Albright's turn to apply some pressure thanks to a set of penalty corners. However, senior goalkeeper Maggie Titus came up big when called upon, stopping the Lions' lone shot from that trio of corners and ending the danger. Bryn Mawr would get one more shot off the stick of Hazel Miller, but Lions goaltender Adele Thomas would make the stop. In the second quarter, Bryn Mawr turned up the pressure even more. The Owls held Albright without a shot in the frame while taking three of their own. One of the most dangerous opportunities for Bryn Mawr came late in the quarter, as both Cutone and Novy Goetgeluk got shots on frame. However, Thomas once again stood strong, keeping Bryn Mawr off the board and closing out the half with the teams still scoreless.

After a fairly benign third quarter, the Owls once again controlled play in the fourth. Midway through the frame, the Owls put together a streak of four penalty corners in three minutes, keeping the Lions pinned down in their own end. Ultimately, Sara Rilatt got off the only shot for the Owls in that stretch, and that effort was blocked. Despite the brief respite, the Owls continued to keep Albright on the defensive. Bryn Mawr got one more crack at the go-ahead goal in regulation, but Hazel Miller's shot went just wide of the cage, and with that, the teams headed to overtime.

The break between regulation and overtime didn't stop the momentum that the Owls had been building. Bryn Mawr immediately got off another shot on goal off the stick of Goetgeluk, but Thomas again made the save. The Lions' junior goalkeeper continued to make impressive saves to keep her squad in the game as the Owls built several odd-man rushes in the seven-a-side overtime period. However, the pressure finally paid off in the waning seconds of the first overtime frame. Bryn Mawr earned a penalty corner with just three seconds left to play, and then drew another foul in the circle that led to an additional untimed corner. It was on that corner that the Owls finally struck paydirt, as Courtney Cutone managed to deflect a pass from Eva Yacura at the left side of the cage and in, sparking a raucous walk-off celebration from the entire Owls squad.

The goal was the second of Cutone's career, while senior goalkeeper Maggie Titus picked up her 18th career victory with the one-save performance. With the win, Bryn Mawr moves to 1-0 on the young season. Having had their originally scheduled Friday afternoon matchup against Cedar Crest canceled, the Owls will now have a weekend off before coming home to take on Lebanon Valley on Wednesday, September 8 at 4:30 PM on Applebee Field.