MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Mia Vecchione of the Saint Anselm College field hockey team scored only 3:21 into overtime on Saturday, lifting the No. 5-ranked Hawks to a 2-1 victory over the eighth-ranked Setters from Pace University at Grappone Stadium.

Box Score

Saint Anselm (7-0, 3-0 NE-10) is off to its best start in program history, winning seven-straight games to open the season. Pace (6-1, 2-1 NE-10) entered play on Saturday with an identical overall and Northeast-10 Conference record, but drew its first loss of the season.

Following a failed corner in overtime, the Hawks retrieved possession at midfield and a long pass was sent up to senior Emma Kincaid. She forced the ball forward to Vecchione, who got a touch and swung her stick around the ball and snuck it past Pace netminder Lesly Sanchez Alvarez for the game-winning strike.

Hannah Friend scored her fourth goal of the season off a Vecchione assist in the game's 23rd minute, creating an early 1-0 advantage for Saint Anselm. On Pace's first shot of the game with 32 seconds to go, Jane Kasparian cashed in off a Rebecca Kauffman corner to draw the game even with only seconds to spare in regulation time.

The Hawks limited Pace to only one shot in the contest. Freshman goaltender Julia Hand improves to 5-0 in her Saint Anselm career with Saturday's victory while Sanchez Alvarez made five saves on seven shots. Margaret Maclean made the first defensive save against Saint Anselm this year off a Vecchione shot into heavy crease traffic to open the second half.

Saint Anselm hits the road for three-straight games and will take on the Ravens from Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.