Field Hockey Drops CCC Opener to UNE, 3-0

Springfield, Mass.—The Western New England field hockey program fell to University of New England 3-0 in the Commenwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener on Wednesday afternoon at Golden Bear Stadium.

Top Performers

Senior forward Jacqueline Clark (Auburn, Mass) had three shots on cage and junior forward Haley Daigneault (Longemeadow, Mass.) put both her attempts on cage. Three other Golden Bears registered a shot on goal.

Freshman keepers Lexie Hemstock (Cheshire, Conn.) and Laura Dion (Cumberland, R.I.) split time between the pipes. Dion finished with four saves.

The Nor'easters offense was paced by sophomore forwards Julia Steeves (Skowhegan, Maine) and Jillian Lachapelle (Gilford, N.H.), each finished with a goal and an assist. Freshman midfielder Alex Koenig (Durham, Maine) also chipped in a goal.

In net, junior goalie Liz Sargent (South Burlington, Vt.) stopped all eight shots she faced.

Game Review

UNE used a two-goal first period to jump out to an early lead. At 6:29, Steeves collected a pass from just outside the scoring arch and pushed it across to Koenig, who slapped in the first strike of the game. At 9:12, Steeves would find junior defender Reanne Boulay (Liberty, Maine) and Boulay would relay it to Lachapelle, giving the Nor'easters the 2-0 lead.

In the second period, Western New England would look to trim the lead. The Golden Bears took five shots in the quarter and controlled possession for most of the quarter. Sargent would make three consecutive saves to stop the WNE attack.

In the third period, University of New England pushed the tempo and the Western New England front responded well. Dion collected all four of her saves in the period.

With just nine ticks left in the third period, UNE earned a penalty corner after a scrum in the shooting circle. The Golden Bears blocked the initial attempt, but Lachapelle recovered the ricochet and funneled it to Steeves, who snuck it past Dion for the 3-0 lead.

Throughout the quarter, Western New England pressed the cage looking to spark a comeback. Daigneault had back-to-back shots that were walled down by Sargent, which secured the shutout victory for the No'reasters.

Notes

• Western New England outshot UNE, 11-9.
• WNE held the advantage in penalty corners, 7-4.

Up Next

Western New England (3-2) looks to bounce back as they travel to Salve Regina Saturday, September 21 for a 2 pm matchup with the Seahawks. UNE (2-5) will host Nichols College at 12 pm on Saturday.