LOWELL, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College field hockey team combined to make 16 saves, but Melissa Effertz recorded a hat trick to lead the fifth-ranked University of Massachusetts Lowell to a 6-0 win Wednesday evening at Cushing Field.
The Hawks drop to 3-7 on the season, including 1-2 in Northeast-10 play. The River Hawks extend their winning streak to seven as they improve to 8-1 and remain perfect at 3-0 in the conference.
UMass Lowell grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the 12th minute when Effertz knocked in her first goal off a penalty corner. Bianca Jones initiated the sequence by sending the ball to the top of the circle for Rachel McCarthy, who settled the ball for Effertz' shot that sailed through the defense and into the back of the cage.
McCarthy then notched a tally of her own on a penalty stroke early in the 19th minute that staked the River Hawks to a 2-0 advantage.
UML stretched its lead to 3-0 at the 25:07 mark when Sarah Wilcox carried the ball down to the near corner and stuffed the ball past senior goalkeeper Megan Sullivan (Braintree, Mass.).
Effertz potted her second of the match to make it 4-0 with 2:24 to go before the half when she knocked in a loose ball after a scramble in front of the cage. Freshman goalkeeper Shauna Whittemore (Bennington, N.H.) then came on in relief of Sullivan and did not see a shot the rest of the half.
Whittemore also kept the River Hawks off the board for the first 29:05 of the second stanza as she stopped all four shots she faced. Senior Kathleen DeVylder (Cheshire, Conn.), as well as freshmen Amber Bennett (New Boston, N.H.) and Nicole Rugan (Chelsea, Maine), each recorded a defensive save. UMass Lowell finally broke through, however, as Effertz tracked down a rebound off a Jones shot and put it past Whittemore to widen the gap to 5-0.
The River Hawks capped the scoring with four seconds left in the contest when Janelle DeCamillis slapped in a loose ball after a scrum in front of the cage.
Sullivan made seven saves in the first 32:36 of action, while Whittemore stopped six shots in 37:24 – both career highs for her. Neither Melanie Hopkins, who started and worked the first 59:33, nor Bryanna Bourbeau, who played the final 10:27, needed to make a save.
UMass Lowell outshot Saint Anselm, 30-3, including 15-0 in the opening half. The River Hawks also held an 18-2 advantage in penalty corners, including 12-0 in the first stanza.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. when they play host to Assumption College at Grappone Stadium. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by friending us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
