MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior Meagan Halligan (No. Branford, Conn.) and freshman Mia Vecchione (Chelmsford, Mass.) each scored goals, but the Saint Anselm College field hockey team could not hold on to a one-goal lead as seventh-ranked Adelphi University earned a 3-2 overtime win Saturday at Grappone Stadium.
The Hawks fall to 6-6 on the season, including 2-5 in Northeast-10 play, while the Panthers improve to 10-4, 5-2 NE-10. Adelphi pulls out a 3-2 overtime victory at Grappone for the second straight season.
Adelphi drew first blood just 2:55 in when Rachel Colvin sent a long pass from the right side of the circle to the far post, where Olivia Nowokunski pushed the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northboro, Mass.) and into the cage to make it 1-0.
The Hawks tied it early in the 17th minute when Halligan put away a pass at the left post from freshman Emma Kincaid (W. Bridgewater, Mass.), who sent the feed through the middle from right-to-left. It was Halligan's third goal in the last two contests.
Saint Anselm then went on top, 2-1, late in the 28th minute as Vecchione collected a loose ball that had been blocked back out to the edge of the circle by the Adelphi defense and fired a long shot past goalkeeper Kelly Serrao and into the back of the net.
The game stayed that way until the 57th minute when Molly Cuevas dropped a short pass to the left side for Briana Rubenstein, who sent a hard shot into the left side of the goal.
The contest went into overtime, where Adelphi took advantage of a corner to pot the game winner 9:56 into the extra session. Samantha Nizich made the insert to the left side of the top of the circle for Cuevas, who sent a laser into the top right corner of the cage to end the game.
Sears made eight saves for the Hawks, while Amanda Gargiulo earned the win by stopping all three shots she faced in the second half and overtime. Serrao turned away four of the six shots that came her way in the opening stanza.
Despite outshooting Adelphi, 3-1, in overtime, the Hawks were edged, 15-13, in shots. Adelphi also held a 12-9 advantage in penalty corners, despite a 3-1 margin for Saint Anselm in the extra session.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. when they play host to fourth-ranked Stonehill College under the lights 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.
