Timmermans lifted the Skyhawks to the win in overtime with her first career goal. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Timmermans' first career goal answers Greyhounds rally in overtime
WORCESTER, Mass. (October 1, 2016) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 5 in this week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, held off Assumption College, 3-2, in overtime in Northeast-10 Conference field hockey action at Multi-Sport Stadium tonight.
Freshman Justine Timmermans (Huizen, The Netherlands) netted her first collegiate goal 4:56 into overtime to lift Stonehill to its second straight win after Assumption had battled back from two goals down to force extra time. Junior Alexandra Gerew (Harrisville, Rhode Island/Pomfret School) and sophomore Kacie Smith (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) also tallied goals for Stonehill, while sophomore Sara Freedman (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) matched her season and career-high with 12 saves in the Skyhawks goal.
Stonehill finished with a 26-22 advantage in shots, including 6-1 in just four minutes of overtime, and an 8-7 edge for penalty corners, including three in the extra session. Sophomore Sarah Bodzinski (Southwick, Massachusetts/Southwick Tolland Regional) posted 11 saves in the Assumption goal.
Assumption got goals from junior Allison Sheahan (Higganum, Connecticut/Haddam-Killingworth) and freshman Kristen McCarthy (Danvers, Massachusetts/Danvers) as they erased a two goal deficit with a pair of markers three minutes apart in the second half.
Freedman matched her career-high with 12 saves in the Skyhawks cage (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
After a scoreless first half, Smith broke the stalemate with her NCAA Division II leading 14th goal of the season when she took a pass from sophomore Carly Andersen (Cheshire, Connecticut/Canterbury School) and lifted a shot past the goalie 8:14 into the second. Gerew gave the Skyhawks a two goal lead with her second career goal when she scored off a rebound in front at 55:10.
Assumption roared back with two goals within a three minute span over the next four minutes to knot the score at two goals each. McCarthy scored her second goal of the season just 1:16 after Gerew's marker to draw the Greyhounds quickly back within a goal and then Sheahan's sixth of the year equalized at 59:20 as she scored off a pass from senior Andrea Koslowski (Warren, Massachusetts/Quaboag Regional).
Stonehill forced three corners and had six shots during the roughly five minutes of seven on seven overtime. Timmermans sent the Skyhawks home victorious as she jumped on a loose ball off a rebound of a Bodzinski save on Gerew and scored from just inside the arc.
Stonehill (7-2, 4-1 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday, when it hosts Franklin Pierce University at W.B. Mason Stadium at 7 p.m. Assumption (5-5, 2-3 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market. Stonehill will serve as host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship at W.B. Mason Stadium, November 18-20.
