MANCHESTER, N.H. – A pair of goals off the stick of junior Meghan Smith helped lift the third-seeded and No. 9 Saint Anselm College field hockey team to a 3-1 victory over sixth-seeded Pace University in a Northeast 10 Conference Quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday evening at Grappone Stadium.

Highlights

• Junior Meghan Smith led the offense with two goals, including the eventual game-winner which came early in the second half, scoring on both of her shot attempts.
• Senior Maggie Burchill added an insurance goal in the fourth quarter.
• Senior Marissa Politano and freshman Bella DiFiore each recorded assists in the victory.
• Saint Anselm outshot Pace, 13-5, with six shots landing on target.
• The Hawks earned nine corners in the victory while limiting the Setters to five corner tries.
• With the victory, Saint Anselm improved to 11-3 in the all-time series against Pace, dating back to the 2015 campaign. The Hawks have won the last six games against the Setters, including four at the friendly confines of Grappone Stadium.
• The Hawks advanced to the NE10 semifinal round for the fourth consecutive season.

How it Happened

The Hawks were first on the board, as sophomore Meghan Smith fired in a shot from the penalty spot with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter with an assist credited to senior Marissa Politano.

Saint Anselm would double its lead with 11:07 remaining in the second half on a corner opportunity, as senior Ellie Brothers had her shot tipped out in front by sophomore Leila Härtel to Smith, who went down to the ground to fire in a shot to make it 2-0.

The Setters would make it a one-goal game 6:40 into the second half as Grace Francis capitalized off a Saint Anselm miscue deep in their own end and converted to make it 2-1.

With under eight minutes left in regulation, Saint Anselm was threatening yet again two consecutive corners and finally converted as senior Maggie Burchill batted a lofted ball out of mid-air and into the net to make it 3-1.

The Setters had one final chance as they earned a corner 3:46 to play, with a shot being blocked out of danger by senior Millie Forster to help secure the victory.

Up Next

The Hawks (14-5) will travel to Long Island to face off against the No. 2 seed, Adelphi University (12-5) in the NE10 Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 7, with a start time of 4:00 p.m. scheduled from Motamed Field. Saint Anselm was narrowly defeated, 1-0, by the Panthers in a regular season matchup on Oct. 4.