MANCHESTER, N.H. – Carlee Dragon recorded five points to propel the University of Long Island-LIU Post to a 5-0 victory against the Saint Anselm College field hockey team on Saturday afternoon at Grappone Stadium in both teams' conference opener.
The Hawks drop to 1-2 on the season, including 0-1 in Northeast-10 play, while the Pioneers remain perfect at 2-0, 1-0 NE-10.
LIU Post looked to grab the lead seven minutes into the contest when Keliann Margiotta held the ball in front with sophomore goalkeeper Shauna Whittemore (Bennington, N.H.) down and out, but sophomore back Nicole Rugan (Chelsea, Maine) swiped the ball from Margiotta and cleared it away.
Eight minutes later, the Hawks had a chance of their own when senior Elizabeth Sears (Danvers, Mass.) hit back-to-back shots at the cage, but LIU Post goalkeeper Meredith Stocklin turned aside the first, while the second was blocked away by a defender.
The contest seemed to be heading toward a first-half deadlock when Melissa Quintanilla poked the ball loose out of a scrum in front and Margiotta popped it in past Whittemore to make it 1-0 with just 19 ticks on the clock.
It remained that way 17:44 into the second stanza when Dragon fed Lyn-Marie Wilson to double the Pioneers' lead. Margiotta picked up her second tally of the game on a reverse stick slash from the left side that made it 3-0 at the 57:56 mark.
Dragon made it 4-0 at 61:07 when her shot from the right side ricocheted off a defender and in past Whittemore. Dragon struck again 1:56 later when Lauren Adamusik sent a long thru-ball up the middle of the field and she tracked it down near the right endline before sending a blast from a nearly impossible angle that snuck inside the far post.
Whittemore made nine saves, while Stocklin stopped five shots in the first 55:29 of action, while Ericka Parks did not face a shot in the final 14:31.
LIU Post outshot Saint Anselm, 19-8, including 11-3 in the opening period. The Pioneers also held a 12-1 advantage in penalty corners.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. when they play host to Franklin Pierce University 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.
