BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Oct. 29, 2013) - Freshman Margaret Wentzel (East Earl, Pa./Garden Spot) scored nearly 10 minutes into overtime to give Alvernia University (11-6, 4-4) a 3-2 win over Widener University (5-13, 1-7) Tuesday afternoon in Commonwealth Conference field hockey action at Alvernia.

The Crusaders did their part to keep a postseason hope alive, but did not get the other results necessary when Lebanon Valley upset Elizabethtown, 1-0, putting Alvenria in sixth place and a game out of the Commonwealth Championships.

Widener seemed prime to play the role of spoiler taking a 1-0 lead into halftime on a Meghan Garvey in the 30th minute.

Alvernia leveled the score in the 54th minute on the ninth of the year from Natalie Messaros (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), but Widener drew a penalty stroke 20 seconds after the restart and took the lead back, 2-1.

Wentzel scored an unassisted goal--her 15th of the season--in the 60th minute and 10 minutes into 7-on-7 overtime took a pass from Summer Liberto (Severna Park Md./Archbishop Spalding) and found the back of the cage.

Alvernia will close out the regular season Saturday in a non-conference game at Cabrini.  The Commonwealth Championships begin on Monday with #5 Lebanon Valley visiting #4 Stevenson.  That winner faces #1 Etown, and #3 Arcadia will visit #2 Messiah in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Alvernia remains in the hunt for an ECAC Mid-Atlantic bid.  That 8-team tournament will be announced after a conference call on Monday, Nov. 11.

Alvernia 3, Widener 2 (OT)