Junior Lauren Giordano posted two goals and two assists in the first half for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Giordano paces Skyhawks to bounce-back win with six points
EASTON, Mass. (September 30, 2014) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 4 in this week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, set a program record for goals scored as it opened its conference schedule with an 11-0 victory over Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 Conference field hockey action at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.
Junior Lauren Giordano (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) led Stonehill, which reached double-figures in goals scored for the first time in program history, with six points on two goals and two assists in the first half. Freshman Alexandria Sylvia (Brockton, Massachusetts/Brockton) added two goals and an assist for five points, while senior All-American Emily Sideris (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) and junior All-American Erika Kelly (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) both added a goal and assist. Freshman Hannah Gifford (Goffstown, New Hampshire/Goffstown) chipped in with the first two goals of her collegiate career, while classmate Rachael Wallace (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) netted her first collegiate goal and senior Jennifer Foley (Holden, Massachusetts/Notre Dame Academy) and junior Elizabeth Thornton (Needham, Massachusetts/Needham) each scored goals as well.
Senior Elizabeth Genovese (Street, Maryland/North Harford) and sophomore Dana Dhami (Glastonbury, Connecticut/Glastonbury) split the goaltending duties for Stonehill. Genovese made three first half saves, while Dhami added a pair of stops in the second. Junior Cassandra Nickerson (Newton, New Hampshire/Sanborn Regional) finished with eight saves in the Southern New Hampshire cage. The Skyhawks held a 32-6 advantage for shots in the game and posted a 12-1 edge in penalty corners.
Freshman Hannah Gifford scored her first two collegiate goals today. |
Foley put Stonehill on the board 6:01 into the game when she knocked in her second goal of the season off a pass from the left side by Giordano, that sparked a four goal surge over the next 3:25. Giordano added both her goals in a 14-second span less than two minutes later. The first came off a penalty corner by sophomore Sarah Morse (Westminster, Massachusetts/Oakmont Regional) that was directed towards the goal by Sideris for Giordano who knocked it into the goal. She scored on a break off a Kelly feed after a SNHU turnover following the restart for her eighth goal of the year and a 4-0 Skyhawks lead.
Thornton finished off the run with her third goal of the year with a nice move past a Southern New Hampshire defender for a shot into an open cage at 9:25. Giordano set up Sideris for her second goal of the week in the 16th minute and then Gifford caged her first career goal in the 19th minute with an unassisted tally. Kelly potted her ninth of the year for a 7-0 margin at 19:36 and Wallace finished off the first half scoring with her first career goal off a pass from Sylvia in the 22nd minute. Gifford and Sylvia, who scored twice in the final 35 minutes, chipped in second half goals for the Skyhawks.
Stonehill (6-1, 1-0 NE-10) is off until next Saturday, October 11, when it continues its five game home stand against rival Bentley University here at W.B. Mason Stadium at noon. Southern New Hampshire (1-6, 0-1 NE-10) visits Assumption College next Saturday at 3 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.
