Stanford, Calif. - The Pacific Field Hockey team was sunk late by No. 18 Delaware, 2-1, on Saturday night at Stanford's Varsity Field Hockey Turf. The Tigers, who fell by a 2-1 margin for the second straight contest, dropped to 0-2 (0-1 NorPac East) while the Blue Hens evened up their non-conference record at 1-1.

Delaware got on the scoreboard first at the 27 minute mark of the first half, as Meghan Winesett tapped in a goal towards the far post.  Michaela Patzner sent in a centering pass to set up Winesett, clearing the way for the chance that bested Pacific's sophomore goalkeeper Laura Pujade.

Delaware would take the 1-0 advantage into the halftime break. The Blue Hens also owned the first half advantage in shots and corners.

Just under six minutes into the second half, Pacific took advantage of a penalty corner opportunity, converting as freshman Savannah Burns sent a pass into junior Hannah Bettencourt, who was waiting in front of the cage and easily tapped in the cross to level the score at one apiece.

The Tigers seemed to pick up momentum from the score and the next 15 minutes saw both teams increase defensive intensity. Sophomore Ali Campos fired a shot that was saved by Delaware goalkeeper Emmeline Oltmans, and Delaware misfired on several shot attempts. The Tigers were able to hold their opponents scoreless despite playing shorthanded for five minutes due to a yellow card.

The Blue Hens struck for the tie-breaking goal with five minutes left in the contest, as Taylor Lister scored unassisted after a scrum in front of the cage for a late lead.

For the second straight contest, the Tigers replaced Pujade with a kicking back, in search of a late equalizer. The Blue Hens defense held the Tigers without a shot for the final two minutes of the contest, preserving the victory.

Head Coach Andy Smith said of the Tigers performance "I think we played extremely well for the majority of the game. A few too many mental mistakes cost us tonight. Overall, I'm happy with this performance against a NCAA tournament team from a year ago, and it is part of the maturity process for this program. We'll regroup and get prepared for our trip to New England."

The Tigers will next be in action on Thursday, Sept. 4 against Vermont. The game is a neutral site contest in Hanover, N.H.