Sarah Hickey and the Stonehill back line kept their opponents off the board for the second straight game. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

St. Martin, Murphy score for Skyhawks; Hickey posts second straight shutout

EASTON, Mass. (September 18, 2010) – The Stonehill College women’s soccer team claimed their second consecutive shutout victory on Saturday, dispatching Pace University 2-0 in a conference matchup at Skyhawk Field.

Stonehill got a clean sheet from junior goalkeeper Sarah Hickey (Lee, Mass./Lee), a goal and an assist from senior Kirstie St. Martin (Providence, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy), and a goal from junior Alexandra Murphy (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth). Sophomore Courtany Hagen (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) made six stops in net for the Setters.

St. Martin, who had scored in each of Stonehill’s previous four games, struck early against Pace, scoring in the eighth minute to give the Skyhawks a lead they would not relinquish. After an attempt to set up Kelsey Mahoney (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) in front of the net was blocked by the Pace back line, St. Martin recovered the ball and took it wide to the left, burying a shot in the low right corner for the eventual game-winner.

Murphy added a second tally in the 73rd minute, taking a cross from St. Martin for her fourth goal of the season. Hickey made a big stop on a wide-open attempt by Pace in the 76th minute, tipping the ball over the crossbar to preserve the shutout.

Stonehill (5-2, 4-1 NE-10) hits the road for two games next week, beginning with a visit to Saint Anselm College on September 21 at 4 p.m.  Pace (2-4, 0-4 NE-10) will host Southern New Hampshire University at the same time.