FITCHBURG, Mass. – Mount Ida College dropped a 6-0 decision to host Fitchburg State on Wednesday evening in non-conference field hockey action at Elliot Field.

Sophomore Emily McConnell (Lowell, Mass.) made 12 saves, but Mount Ida managed just one shot on goal and Fitchburg State freshman forward Molly Richard notched her second hat trick on the season in the victory.

In the opening half, Fitchburg State took the lead just 1:52 into the frame as Richard blasted a shot inside the far post for her team-leading sixth score on the season for the 1-0 advantage.

The Falcons doubled their margin (2-0) in the sixth minute of action when senior forward Julia Gimenez redirected a shot by sophomore Casey Noonan into the left side of the cage for her fifth goal of the season.

The hosts upped their lead at the 17:25 mark as Richard collected a loose ball at midfield, streaked down the far sideline and converted the breakaway attempt, depositing the ball into the upper left corner for the 3-0 advantage going into intermission.

Following the break, the Green and Gold added to their lead in the 46th minute of action when Richard found the back of the cage to complete the hat trick to make the score 4-0. The Falcons capped the scoring at the 59:45 mark when freshman Alanah Pacheco connected on her first collegiate goal.

Kerra Denny (Oakland, R.I.) fired the only shot on goal for Mount Ida, while Molly Thompson (Canterbury, Conn.) got on the stat sheet as well with a defensive save.

Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State controlled the offensive play, outshooting Mount Ida by a 25-1 margin, while limiting the Mustangs to just one penalty corner. In the cage, sophomore Jordyn Conway made one second half save for the Falcons in 35 minutes of play.

Mount Ida (4-9, 1-3 GNAC) returns to conference play when they visit Johnson & Wales on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Fitchburg State (6-7, 1-5 LEC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Lancers of Worcester State University for a contest starting at 10 a.m.