MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm field hockey team held a more than 2-to-1 advantage in shots and freshman goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northboro, Mass.) made five saves, but Mercy College rolled onto the Hilltop on Saturday afternoon and came away with a 2-0 non-conference victory.

The Hawks dip to 4-7 on the season, while the Mavericks win their third straight to improve to 3-9.

Mercy looked to have drawn first blood just 7:29 into the contest when Sears came out to challenge Sarah Hennessey and went to the turf, but as Hennessy flipped the ball over Sears and it appeared headed for the back of the net, junior Bridget Davis (Mansfield, Mass.) stepped in the way and sticked the ball down from around her shoulders to keep it scoreless.

Despite the Hawks controlling most of the action and holding a 13-4 advantage in shots, the game remained deadlocked at zero through the first half. The Mavericks finally broke through 6:30 into the second stanza when Jaclyn Ballin ran onto a loose ball on the right side of the circle and rifled a shot past Sears at the near post to make it 1-0.

Mercy doubled its lead 3:05 later as Yolie Nyero held the ball on the right flank and waited as Sears came out to challenge. Nyero sent a quick drive toward the center of the circle that Sears went down to kick away, but the ball squirted past and Samantha Burke easily put it into the open cage.

Mercy goalkeeper Kristen Znaniecki stopped all 12 saves she faced for the shutout, as Saint Anselm held big advantages in both shots (20-9) and penalty corners (16-2) despite the tough loss.

The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. when they play host to Merrimack College at Grappone. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.