EASTON, Mass. – Junior Colleen Sears (Danvers, Mass.) registered a goal and an assist, while sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northboro, Mass.) made 13 saves, as the Saint Anselm College field hockey team powered past fourth-ranked Stonehill, 3-1, Tuesday night at W.B. Mason Stadium.
The Hawks, who record their second straight victory against the fourth-ranked team in the country after also beating LIU Post, 3-2, in overtime Sept. 19, extend their program-best start to 4-1. Saint Anselm, which was playing its third consecutive contest against a nationally-ranked opponent, knocked off Stonehill for the first time in 21 tries. The Skyhawks receive their first loss of the season and dip to 5-1.
"First and foremost, Stonehill is an incredibly skilled team," head coach Carolyn King said. "I'm really proud of how we came out and executed, both offensively and defensively. We had to play our best. Our energy level was incredibly high for the entire game and we never let up. It's a great way to head into conference play on Saturday."
Following a scoreless first half, the Hawks struck first just 3:07 into the second stanza when sophomore Kelsey Leblanc (Londonderry, N.H.) sent a long pass up-field for junior Meagan Halligan (No. Brandford, Conn.), who carried forward and made a move around Stonehill goalkeeper Elizabeth Genovese before putting the ball into the open net for the 1-0 lead.
The Skyhawks tied it in the 51st minute when Emily Sideris collected a rebound off Jennifer Foley's shot that hit the post and slapped it in past Sears to even things at one apiece.
Saint Anselm went ahead at the 61:16 mark as freshman Mia Vecchione (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked a perfect time for her first collegiate points. Colleen Sears sent a pass from right to left that Vecchione teed up and blasted into the open cage for her first career goal and the 2-1 advantage.
Sears provided the Hawks with some insurance just 4:43 later when Genovese charged her and poke-checked the ball, but Sears was able to knock the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net to make it 3-1.
The defense made the lead stand up as it withstood a pair of corners and blocked a shot, to go along with a pair of Sears saves, over the final four minutes.
With her season-high 13 saves, including eight in the second stanza, Sears improved to 4-1 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .792 save percentage. Genovese stopped three shots.
Stonehill outshot Saint Anselm, 30-7, including 14-2 in the opening period, and held a 16-2 advantage in penalty corners, including 10-0 in the second half.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. when they play host Southern Connecticut State University in their Northeast-10 opener 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.
