NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior Elizabeth Sears (Danvers, Mass.) scored less than three minutes into the contest and sophomore goalkeeper Shauna Whittemore (Bennington, N.H.) made a career-high 15 saves, but the Saint Anselm College field hockey team suffered a 5-1 defeat against Merrimack College on Tuesday evening at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Hawks drop to 1-1 on the young season, while the Warriors improve to 2-1.
Sears staked the visitors to an early 1-0 lead just 2:24 into the game when she carried the ball through a set of Merrimack defenders and beat Gina Rosinski with a shot to her left that found the back of the cage.
The Warriors answered, however, as a pair of scores from Sydney Bowker at 12:05 and Katrina Squeri at 22:54 sent Merrimack into the break with a 2-1 edge.
Squeri opened the second-half scoring just 5:37 in and set off a flurry of Merrimack goals over the next 4:26 that broke the game open. Candace Waldie beat Whittemore at 42:57 before Eva Colarusso made it 5-1 with 24:57 on the clock.
Merrimack outshot Saint Anselm, 30-12, including 14-4 in the second stanza. The Warriors also held a 15-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Whittemore's 15 saves were four more than her previous career best. Rosinski stopped seven of the eight shots she faced.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Sept. 14 at noon when they open Northeast-10 play against Long Island University-LIU Post 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 liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
