NEWTON, Mass. – Sarah Hemstock (Northford, Conn.) scored just four minutes into the game, but Mount Ida College allowed three unanswered goals to rival Lasell College and dropped a 3-1 decision in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey action on Saturday afternoon, ending their program record win streak at five games.
The Mustangs fall to 8-5 on the year and 1-3 in the conference, while Lasell is now 2-3 in conference play and a matching 8-5 on the year.
Junior Erica Connors (South Berwick, Maine) scored a goal and an assist for the Lasers, while senior Courtney Braman (Gardner, Mass.) and sophomore Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.) assisted on each second-half goal. Freshman Samantha Taylor (Hanover, Mass.) also notched a marker for the Lasers for her team-leading 10thgoal.
The Mustangs got on the board first just 4:01 into the game as Hemstock scored her team-leading 11th goal after taking a pass from junior Lexi Minicucci (Westfield, Mass.) off a penalty corner.
All three Lasell goals also came off penalty corner conversions, beginning with Braman's tying score in the 26th minute. Connors initially shot towards goal, but Braman was camped out at the post where she tipped the ball past Mount Ida freshman goalkeeper Grace Ryan (Livermore Falls, Maine) for her fourth goal of the season and second in four games.
Connors netted the eventual game-winner in the 45th minute, scoring into the right side of the net after Flannery played the ball inside the circle.
Junior Denise Landry (New Milford, Conn.) made three of her five saves in the first half for Lasell, but came up big at a critical time. Minicucci had an opportunity to level the score for the Mustangs in the game's final ten minutes on a penalty stroke, but Landry sprawled to her left to keep the Lasers ahead.
Lasell went on to add an insurance goal at the 66:13 mark as Taylor tipped in her ninth goal of the season into the left side of the net.
The Lasers earned 17 penalty corners in the contest, including six of the seven called in the second half, to the Mustangs' six. Lasell also held a 19-9 shot advantage.
Landry moves to 8-4 on the season with the victory and has now allowed a goal or fewer eight times in 13 games. Ryan made eight saves for the Mustangs, falling to 6-5.
The Lasers return to action on Thursday, October 13 for a 7:00 p.m. contest with non-conference opponent Wheelock College to be held at Winsor Field in Boston, while the Mustangs travel to Regis that same day at 4:00 p.m.
Mount Ida looks to bounce back when they play a non-conference game on October 13th at 4:00 pm when they head to Regis College.
Lasell moves into non-conference play as well with a Thursday night game at Wheelock at 7:00 pm.