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0
St. Thomas Aquinas STACFH (0-1)
9
Winner Saint Anselm STA (1-0)
St. Thomas Aquinas STACFH
(0-1)
0
Final
9
Saint Anselm STA
(1-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Thomas Aquinas STACFH 0 0 0
Saint Anselm STA 6 3 9

Game Recap: Field Hockey |

Field Hockey Opens Season With Decisive 9-0 Win Over Saint Thomas Aquinas

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Abby Walker (Scarborough, Maine) and sophomore Allia Connolly (Westford, Mass.) each scored two goals to propel the Saint Anselm College field hockey team to Saturday afternoon's season-opening, 9-0 victory against Saint Thomas Aquinas at Grappone Stadium.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

  • In her first collegiate game, Walker potted the two goals and handed out an assist – all in the first half – to help stake the Hawks to a 6-0 lead at the break.
  • Connolly, a Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team selection a year ago, as well as the Hawks' leading scorer, picked up where she left off with the 11th and 12th goals of her career.
  • Senior captain Meagan Halligan (No. Branford, Conn.) was the third Hawk with more than two points as she notched a goal and an assist to quickly give Saint Anselm a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the contest.
  • Seniors Colleen Sears (Danvers, Mass.) and Taylor Coons (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.), as well as sophomores Jamie McNamara (Auburn, Mass.) and Emma Kincaid (W. Bridgewater, Mass.), all found the back of the cage.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Halligan opened the scoring just 1:26 in and then set up Connolly in the 10th minute.
  • The game remained 2-0 until the 26th minute before the Hawks scored four goals – with Walker having a hand in three of them – over the final 9:20 of the stanza to break it open.
  • Saint Anselm scored two more in the opening 13 minutes of the second half and closed the scoring with just under 10 minutes to play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Junior goalkeeper Katherine Sears (Northborough, Mass.) did not see a shot in the first 35 minutes of action as Saint Anselm maintained possession for nearly the entire opening period.
  • Freshman Sarah Bentley (Acton, Mass.) turned away the only shot she faced over the final 35 minutes in her first collegiate action.
  • Kaitlyn Gee started and stopped three of the nine shots she faced for the Spartans in the first half before Nicole Amerling made one save on four shots in the second stanza.
  • Saint Anselm owned an 18-1 advantage in shots, including 14-0 in the first half, and held a 15-0 margin in penalty corners.

NOTES

  • The nine goals are a program record, surpassing the previous mark of six set against Southern Connecticut State University on Sept. 6, 2008.
  • Junior Megan Dodge (New Boston, N.H.) and freshmen Maddie Bressler (Franklin, Mass.) and Anna Drakeley (Woodbury, Conn.) each recorded their first collegiate points with assists, while senior CeCi Hodgkins (Cumberland, Maine) registered her fourth career point with a helper.
  • Saint Anselm begins the season 1-0 for the third straight year.
  • Saint Thomas Aquinas was playing its first ever game in program history.

UP NEXT

  • The Hawks are back in action Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. when they play host to Dowling College at Grappone.

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