MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Allia Connolly (Westford, Mass.) notched her first collegiate goal and junior Colleen Sears (Danvers, Mass.) scored her second of the season, but the Saint Anselm College field hockey team fell to fifth-ranked Merrimack College in its home opener Saturday at Grappone Stadium.

The Hawks dip to 2-1 on the season, while the Warriors level their record at 1-1.

Merrimack wasted no time jumping out in front as Christine Zubkus settled a bouncing ball in front of the net and put it past sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northboro, Mass.) just 3:08 into the contest.

Zubkus doubled the lead at the 10:17 mark as she knocked in a Katrina Squeri feed at the left post off a corner play.

The Warriors went up 3-0 at 25:22 as Zubkus sent a pass to Hannah Magerman, who drilled the ball into the right side of the cage.

Saint Anselm finally made it on the board just 50 seconds later when Connolly intercepted a clearing attempt in the circle and beat Merrimack goalkeeper Madison Davis to trim the deficit to 3-1.

The Hawks pulled within one 5:31 into the second half as Colleen Sears deflected a drive from junior Taylor Coons (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.) into the net to bring the score to 3-2.

Merrimack grabbed some insurance with just under seven minutes remaining off another corner as Sydney Bowker received the insert on the left and fed Kylee Duteau for the goal at the far post.

Davis made six saves for the Warriors, while Katherine Sears did not stop a shot.

The Hawks outshot the Warriors, 17-6, including 10-2 in the second half, and also held a 13-10 advantage in penalty corners.

The Hawks return to action Friday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. when they play host to Long Island University-LIU Post 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.