Smith hat trick punctuates Skyhawks fifth-straight win
Smith recorded her second hat trick of the season, breaking a program record with her 20th career gamewinning goal. (PHOTO BY Matt Campbell) |
EASTON, Mass. (September 29, 2018) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 2 in this week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, rode three multi-point outings to a 5-0 victory over rival Bentley University in Northeast-10 Conference field hockey action on Timothy J. Coughlin, '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.
Senior All-American Kacie Smith, the reigning Longstreth/NFHCA Division II Player of the Year, punctuated Stonehill's fifth-straight win with her second hat trick of the season (17th career), while classmate Carly Andersen recorded a season-high four points with a goal and two assists for the Skyhawks. Freshman Emma Mawn chipped in with her first collegiate points with a goal and assist.
Senior Sara Freedman registered nine saves in the Stonehill goal to preserve her second shutout of the season (16th career). Senior Jana Mones finished with four stops in the Bentley cage.
Anderson registered a season-high four points with a goal and two assists. (PHOTO BY Matt Campbell) |
Smith opened the scoring on Stonehill's first penalty corner attempt 17:42 into the game, as she took a pass from the top of the arc by junior All-American Michaela Antonellis off Andersen's corner pass and fired in a drive from the right side of the circle. Andersen doubled the Skyhawks lead less than eight minutes later off another corner, when a drive from the top of the arc by Antonellis was directed through Mones' goal pads by Mawn to the far post for her fifth goal of the season.
Mawn added her first career goal 8:51 into the second half when she found herself at the far post for a pass from the right side by Andersen. Smith followed by rounding out her hat trick with a pair of goals only 17-seconds apart just past the hour mark of the game. Both goals came off turnovers, where she was able to break in one on one with Mones for her 11th and 12th goals of the year.
Smith has now totaled 89 goals and 32 assists for 210 points in her Stonehill career. She is just seven points shy of former teammate Erika Kelly '16's career scoring mark (217 points) and nine goals shy of Kelly's career record (98). The gamewinning goal today is the 20th of Smith's career, surpassing Kelly's previous program record of 19.
Stonehill (6-1, 2-0 NE10) is off until next Saturday, October 6, when it visits Adelphi University for an NE10 matchup at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Tuesday, October 9, to host Franklin Pierce University at 7 p.m. Bentley (5-3, 2-2 NE10) hosts Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Thursday at 6 p.m.
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