College officials have apologized to members of a Maine field hockey team after their game was stopped during overtime — to clear the field for a football game.
A field hockey game between the University of Maine and Temple University, which was held at the neutral site of Kent State University Saturday, went to double overtime in a 0-0 tie. But while the teams were ready to play, Kent State officials told them to clear off so a football game could get underway.
The female athletes were shocked.
“My personal reaction isn’t to shame Kent State in any way, it’s just to get the story out there and let people know that things like this are still going on,” said player Nicole Woods. “A lot of the reactions were ‘Oh, I thought this was over and done with in the 80s and 90s,’ but it’s 2019 and things like this are still happening.”
Kent State’s athletic director issued an apology, saying in part “In hindsight, a different decision should have been made to ultimately ensure the game reached its conclusion. We hold ourselves to a very high standard, and in this situation, we failed.”
The NCAA has since ruled the field hockey contest was an exhibition game, so it won’t affect either team’s ranking.
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