Sophomore Erika Kelly scored all three goals for the Skyhawks on Tuesday night, marking her third hat trick in as many games played so far this season. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Kelly magic continues with all three Skyhawk markers in fourth-straight win
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (September 17, 2013) – Stonehill College, ranked fourth in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll released today, erased an early deficit with three unanswered goals for a 3-1 triumph over Northeast-10 Conference preseason favorites Merrimack College in a non-conference field hockey clash at Martone-Mejail Field tonight.
Sophomore Erika Kelly (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) maintained her blinding goal scoring streak as she added her third hat trick in as many games played to lead Stonehill, which has won its first four games of the season for the first time since a 7-0 start in 2007. Senior Kelsey Davis (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) chipped in with her team-leading third assist of the season. Junior Elizabeth Genovese (Street, Md./North Harford) improved to 4-0 in the Skyhawks cage with nine saves.
Freshman Maura Doyle (Merrimac, Mass./Kimball Union Academy) scored the lone goal for Merrimack, who finished with a 19-12 edge in shots for the game and held a 10-3 advantage for penalty corners. Classmate Nicole Bradley (Essex, Mass./Manchester Essex) chipped in with an assist, while sophomore Madison Davis (San Jose, Calif./Branham) posted six stops in the Warriors cage.
Doyle gave Merrimack an early lead when she tapped the ball in on the right side off a feed from Bradley just 5:10 into the contest. Kelly leveled the contest at 12:52 with an unassisted strike off a rebound.
Kelly put Stonehill in front 13:43 into the second half when she ripped a penalty corner by Davis from the top of the arc. She doubled the Skyhawks lead at 61:47 on a breakaway for her Conference-leading tenth goal of the season and has now scored ten of her team's 12 goals in the three games she has played this fall.
Stonehill (4-0, 1-0 NE-10) is back in action on Thursday night for its much anticipated home opener against 10th-ranked American International College for a non-conference clash at 7 p.m. Merrimack (2-3, 0-0 NE-10) visits Assumption College on Saturday at noon.
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