ABINGTON, Pa. – The Gallaudet University women's soccer team took an opportunistic approach to the 2010 season as the Bison entered the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). The Bison on Sunday suffered a gut wrenching 4-3 overtime loss on the road against Penn St.-Abington. The loss eliminated Gallaudet (6-11, 4-7 NEAC) from making the NEAC postseason tournament, where the top six teams advance.

The Bison will look back and think about the missed opportunities where they lost four conference games by one goal and a fifth by two goals. An additional win or two would have helped GU's chances of making the conference tournament. Gallaudet has completed its conference schedule this season and currently sits in eighth place in the NEAC.

GU forced overtime on Sunday against Penn St.-Abington (7-8, 4-6 NEAC) when senior midfielder Virginia Keeler (Ann Arbor, Mich.) scored an unassisted goal with 36 seconds left in regulation.

The Bison received a major scare in the overtime period when sophomore goalie Kara Gulvas (Crown Point, Ind.) was injured at the 5:54 mark. Gulvas was replaced in net by sophomore Maggie Hoyt (Edgecomb, Maine). This was Hoyt's first appearance in net for the Bison this year. GU has played the entire season without a back-up goalie.

Penn St.-Abington took advantage of the new Bison goalie and ended the game with 1:24 left in overtime on a goal off the foot of Brittany Middleton (three goals). The Nittany Lions goal was setup off a corner kick.

The Nittany Lions scored the game's first two goals before Keeler scored an unassisted goal at the 39:20 mark. Gallaudet went into halftime down 2-1.

The Bison tied the game at 2-2 when sophomore Maddie Morgan (Hockessin, Del.) scored 14 minutes into the second half.

Middleton netted her second goal of the game 15 minutes later as Penn St.-Abington regained the lead, 3-2.

The Nittany Lions outshot the Bison 22-13 and doubled up Gallaudet on corner kicks, 10-5. Gulvas finished the game with 10 saves while Hoyt made one save. Danielle Fontaine made four saves in the win for Penn St.-Abington.

Gallaudet will close out the 2010 season at home on Friday, October 29, when the Bison welcome Salem International (W.Va.) University to Hotchkiss Field for a 7 p.m. night game to kick-off Homecoming weekend.