RINDGE, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's soccer team came away with a 3-1 victory over Franklin Pierce University on Monday evening at Sodexo Field.

Saint Anselm moves to 1-0 on the season while Franklin Pierce sees their undefeated season wiped away, falling to 2-1 overall. Monday's contest was the first of two countable contests for the Hawks in the spring; Saint Anselm will conclude the spring semester with a home match against the same team, Franklin Pierce, on Friday, Apr. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Grappone Stadium.

The Hawks played their first game in almost over 500 days since the 2019 campaign that saw Saint Anselm finish with a 7-3-7 overall record, barely missing the NE10 postseason tournament. This is the first time since 2002 that the Hawks own a two-game winning streak against the Ravens.

"It was great to take the field once again after being off for more than 500 days," said Head Coach Joel Bancroft. "Tonight was always going to be an adventure as over half our roster was playing in their first college match. To do so on the road against a well-coached team is no small feat."

Saint Anselm took control early with two goals in the first 12 minutes of action and held the lead for the remainder of the match. At the 8:41 mark, sophomore Kathryn White (Georgetown, Mass.) drew the first blood, scoring from outside the top of the box for the first goal of her career.

Off a corner kick by freshman Olivia Gotobed (North Andover, Mass.), junior Marissa Greene (Dracut, Mass.) headed the ball into the back of the net just four minutes later, giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead. Greene registered her first collegiate goal and Gotobed picked up her first collegiate point, an assist, on the play.

Three minutes later, Franklin Pierce put themselves on the board with a Keyla Gonzalez Jean score, cutting the Hawks advantage in half. In the first 45 minutes, Saint Anselm held a 7-4 shots advantage.

The contest was a back-and-forth affair in the second half, neither team allowing the other to convert on any scoring chances. In her collegiate debut, sophomore Grace Foley (Middleton, Mass.) added an insurance goal late in the second half, the first of her career, to secure the victory for the Hawks.

"We started quickly and that gave us the cushion we needed to weather some of the difficult stretches of the game," said Bancroft. "We made some adjustments at the half and had some good responses from some of our reserves. The third goal is one that deserves attention. Grace had a wonderful performance in her very first game in more than 700 days due to injury. You could not write a better ending. She is so deserving of this moment.

In net, junior Mackenzie O'Neill (Lynnfield, Mass.) and sophomore Kate Macaluso (Malverne, N.Y.) split time with each playing 45 minutes. O'Neill stopped one shot and Macaluso logged three saves. Their counterpart from the Ravens, Kasey Donnelly, made four saves in the loss.

The Hawks finished the game with statistical edges in shots taken, 12-8 and corner kicks, 8-2.