Sophomore Brittany Ford netted her first career goal in the second half for Stonehill. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes).

Huskies open 2-0 first half lead, answer two Skyhawk rally attempts

EASTON, Mass. (September 4, 2010) – Four-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Bloomsburg (Pa.) University, ranked first in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) preseason poll, opened a 2-0 lead under 20-minutes into the contest and had an answer for two rally attempts by fourth-ranked Stonehill College to post a 4-2 season-opening victory in non-conference field hockey action at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.

Bloomsburg got goals from four different players with seven different Huskies tallying points on the afternoon. The Huskies held Stonehill to just seven shots, four in the second half, and only four penalty corners after the Skyhawks led all of Division II with 13.82 per game in 2009. BU finished with a 19-7 advantage for shots in the game, including a 10-3 margin in the opening half. Senior Aime Sgarlat (Dallas, Pa./Lake Lehman), junior Amanda Riley (Tannersville, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) and sophomores Lauren McGinley (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin) and Nicole Bruce (Dalton, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) all scored goals for Bloomsburg.

Sophomore Meghan Hollenbach (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood) preserved the win in goal for Bloomsburg with three saves. Senior Courtney Osier (South Dennis, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) posted ten stops in the cage for Stonehill.

Sophomores Teresa McGinley (Sandwich, Mass./Bishop Stang) and Brittany Ford (Augusta, Maine/Cony) both netted their first career goals for Stonehill, both drawing the Skyhawks within a goal shortly after Bloomsburg had gained a two-goal margin in each half. Junior Kathryn Nelson (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) chipped in with an assist for the Skyhawks.

Sophomore Teresa McGinley also picked up her first career goal on Saturday.

Bloomsburg controlled play in the opening 20-minutes and were rewarded for their efforts with two goals in a five-minute span to take control early. McGinley opened the scoring for the Huskies when she knocked in a rebound at the far post off a shot from sophomore Amber Aulenbach (Fleetwood, Pa./Oley Valley) 15:20 into the game. Sgarlat doubled the advantage at 19:53 when she collected her own rebound and fired it past Osier.

Stonehill drew back within one just over four-minutes later when McGinley tallied her first career goal as she one-timed a rebound on the left post past Hollenback at 23:55.

Bloomsburg regained its two-goal cushion 4:35 into the second half as Bruce scored off a feed from junior Lindsay Danz (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Sussex Technical). Stonehill cut the gap quickly after with Ford notching her first collegiate goal with a shot at the far post off a short pass from Nelson at 39:41.

Riley sealed the victory for Bloomsburg when she tipped a pass from the upper left corner of the arc by junior Betsey Renn (Herndon, Pa./Line Mountain) past Osier at 42:10.

Stonehill (0-1, 0-0 NE-10) is right back in action tomorrow when it hosts No. 5-ranked East Stroudsburg University at 11 a.m. Bloomsburg (1-0, 0-0 PSAC) will then battle Franklin Pierce University at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1:30 p.m.