Guden blast off corner the difference for Crusaders in season-opener

WORCESTER, Mass. (August 25, 2023) – Senior Katie Guden deposited a blast from the top of the arc off a penalty corner to lift College of the Holy Cross to a 1-0 double-overtime triumph over Stonehill College in a non-conference field hockey matchup to open the 2023 season for both programs at Hart Turf Field this afternoon.   

Highlights

• Guden's game-winning goal 3:03 into double-overtime is the sixth of her career and came off Holy Cross' seventh penalty corner try of the game – the Crusaders third in the second overtime session.
• Senior Brooke Ross preserved her fourth career shutout with a career-high 11 saves – five coming in the first half when Stonehill posted a 6-2 shots advantage and three in the second overtime, including a penalty stroke save just two minutes before the winning goal was scored.
• Junior Shannon Conte nearly matched Ross save for save, finishing with nine stops – five coming after the third quarter and four over the two extra frames.

Conte finished with nine saves in the Skyhawks cage this afternoon (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

How It Happened

• Stonehill enjoyed the run of play in the first half, posting a 6-2 advantage in shots and earning all three penalty corners of the first 30-minutes.
• Stonehill earned three-straight corners five minutes into the fourth quarter, with Ross stopping a try by freshman Karleigh Mirabile on the final corner of that period.
• Conte made two big saves in the first overtime to keep the game scoreless and then Stonehill was awarded a penalty stroke on a Mirabile shot attempt a minute into the second overtime.
• Ross was up to the challenge, saving the low shot try to her right for her 11^th stop of the contest.
• Holy Cross capitalized and earned three consecutive corners at the other end. Conte was up to the task with a save on the second try on a shot by senior Sarah Potter, but Guden capitalized on the third corner, blasting home the lone goal of the day off a stick stop from senior Allie McDonough, following the insertion by sophomore Megan Schienbein.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill saw four freshmen make their collegiate debuts in today's game – including two in the starting lineup.
• Conte, an All-Northeast Conference second team selection as a sophomore, made her 16^th-straight start in the Stonehill cage.

Up Next

Stonehill (0-1, 0-0 NEC) is right back in action on Sunday, when it visits UAlbany for a non-conference matchup at 2 p.m. Please note the time change from the original scheduled start time. Holy Cross (1-0, 0-0 PL) is off until next Friday, when it visits Northeastern University at 6 p.m.

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