MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm women's soccer team hosted the Merrimack College Warriors this afternoon at Melucci Field for a Northeast-10 Conference game.  The two teams had been tied for fourth place in the conference with a 5-3 NE-10 record coming into today's match.  The Warriors' speed got the best of the Hawks, who fell by a score of 2-0, securing the Warriors sole possession of fourth place.

The Warriors got the ball rolling right away, as Ashley Alnwick (Groton, Mass.) headed in a corner kick taken by Jessie DeGraan (Braintree, Mass.) just 2:25 into the game to give Merrimack an early 1-0 lead.  The Hawks' defense was able to keep the Warriors off the board for the next 80 minutes of play, but the Hawks could not find a hole in the Warriors' tough backline.  At 82:35, with under eight minutes remaining in the game, Meghan McClorey (Melrose, Mass.) converted a pass from Jenn Pino (North Andover, Mass.) to secure Merrimack the 2-0 win.

The Warriors outshot the Hawks 23-14, but both teams had 11 shots on goal, giving the Hawks a .786 shots-on-goal percentage.  Merrimack goalkeeper Brittany Gustafson (East Hampton, Conn.) had 11 saves and Jacqueline Cooney (Braintree, Mass.) had nine.  The Hawks also posted one team save.

The win lifts the Warriors to 9-3-1 (6-3, NE-10) while the Hawks fall to 6-5-1 (5-4, NE-10).  The Hawks return to action on Saturday, October 10th, when they travel to Easton, Mass. to take on the Stonehill College Skyhawks in Northeast-10 Conference play. The game will begin at 11:00 am.