MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Corey Murray (Scituate, Mass.) cleaned up a rebound off a deep Nicole Rust (Hooksett, N.H.) free-kick rocket, but the Saint Anselm College women's soccer team fell in a Queen City Cup matchup to crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University, 4-1, on a miserably soggy Larkin Field Wednesday night.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Murray's third goal of the season ties her for second-most on the team with senior Rachel Gillies (Auburn, Mass.), upping her season point total to seven.
• Rust also moves into a three-way tie with Gillies and senior Callie Millet (Lancaster, Mass.) in the assists race with two on the year, also notching her sixth point.
• Junior Cassie Quattropani (East Hartford, Conn.) tallied two saves on the night.
For the Penmen…
• Gabby Cappello recorded two assists on the evening, aiding on goals from Megan Hanna and Trisha Luis.
• Morgan Branco and Alyssa Balboni also added goals for the Penmen.
• Goalkeeper Autumn Scanlon recorded a game-high three saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Hanna caught the Hawks' defense on its heels in the fifth minute, receiving a Cappello throughball from the front left to the right flank. She shook a defender and snuck a low shot that just crept inside the left post to hand the Penmen an early lead.
• The Penmen then scored on a nearly identical putaway just six minutes later, as Luis tucked another low dribbler into the left netting from across the box—again off a Cappello assist.
• The Hawks responded, however with a goal in the 34th minute, as Rust earned a free kick that sailed over a leaping Scanlon. The initial strike ricocheted off the crossbar, bounded straight up off the turf, and again rang the crossbar before an unmarked Murray headed it into the right side.
• Branco booted an absolute rocket from outside the 18 in the 49th minute, finding space straight away and beating Quattropani high and left to take a 3-1 lead.
• Balboni added another insurance goal for the Penmen, heading home a masterful cross from Hanna the left flank.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• Despite the three-goal difference, the teams played a relatively even matchup on the field. The Penmen held a slight 9-7 advantage in total shots and 6-4 tally in on-goal attempts.
• Saint Anselm held SNHU to just one corner on the night, accruing five to its own accord and four in the first half alone.
NOTES
• The Penmen improve to 20-10-4 all-time in the series, and snap Saint Anselm's four-game win streak in the series. The Hawks were 3-0-1 over the past four seasons entering Wednesday.
• With Southern Connecticut State University's 3-0 shutout over Saint Michael's College, the Owls move into the final playoff position—one point ahead of ninth-place University of New Haven—with one game remaining. Saint Anselm, which fell to four points behind SCSU, was officially eliminated from an NE-10 Championship tournament berth with Wednesday's results.
• Also with Wednesday's win, SNHU takes a commanding 16-2 lead in the Queen City Cup standings. The Hawks' lone two points in the series have come on Field Hockey's pair of wins this season.
UP NEXT
• Saint Anselm will complete its 2015 campaign with another tough road game Saturday afternoon, battling University of New Haven in a primetime 7 p.m. start.
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