EASTON, Mass. – Sophomore Jamie McNamara (Auburn, Mass.) scored to tie the game in the 19th minute and junior goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northboro, Mass.) made 11 saves, but the ninth-ranked and fifth-seeded Saint Anselm College field hockey team dropped a 2-1 decision against 10th-ranked and fourth-seeded Stonehill College in a Northeast-10 Championship quarterfinal tilt Tuesday evening at W.B. Mason Stadium.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- McNamara's goal was her third of the season.
- Sears' 11 saves marked a season best for her.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stonehill grabbed a 1-0 lead just 2:23 into the contest when Kacie Smith put back a rebound at the left post.
- Saint Anselm answered at the 18:45 mark as senior Meagan Halligan (No. Branford, Conn.) slipped a pass across the goalmouth for McNamara, who finished into an open left side of the cage.
- The game went to halftime deadlocked, but Stonehill's Erika Kelly snapped the tie with her conference-leading 23rd goal of the season.
- The Hawks put three shots on net over the final 25-plus minutes, but they were all turned away.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stonehill goalkeeper Sara Freedman made four saves.
- Stonehill outshot Saint Anselm, 22-7, including 13-1 in the opening period. The Skyhawks also doubled up the Hawks in penalty corners, 8-4.
NOTES
- Halligan's assist was the 17th of her career, which ties her with Kristina Katsikis (2009-12) for the program record. Her ninth assist of the season also moves her into second place all alone and just one behind Katsikis' 2011 performance.
- The Hawks were playing in their first Northeast-10 Championship match since 2007.
- Saint Anselm, which lost for just the third time in 12 games, drops to 15-4.
- This will mark the final game for seniors Halligan, CeCi Hodgkins (Cumberland, Maine), Nicole Rugan (Chelsea, Maine), Colleen Sears (Danvers, Mass.), Taylor Coons (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.), Richelle Davis (Enfield, Conn.) and Canada Stewart (Derry, N.H.), barring an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament.
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