NEWTON, Mass -- Senior Day at Alumni Field saw the Mount Ida field hockey team take down the visiting Elms College Blazers 2-0 in Thursday night action. The Mustangs held the first ever senior day for field as this class of seniors were the first to compete for the Green and White. Seniors Kerra Denny (Burrillville, R.I), Lexi Minicucci (Westfield, Mass.), Cregan Callahan (Diamond Point, N.Y.), Emily Salls (Springvale, Maine), and Emily McConnell (Dracut, Mass.) helped to build the program from the ground up and have left a lasting impact for future Mustangs.
Mount Ida grabbed an early lead when Minicucci was able to beat Blazer goalkeeper Jillian Lapponese (Enfield, Conn.) with some terrific stick worth to find the back of the net. The offensive attack for the Mustangs continued to hound Lapponese and the Blazers backline, leading to 14 saves for Lapponese on the day. Mount Ida was able to control possession of the ball throughout the first half with some strong work from Salls and Callahan. Erin Esty (Gorham, Maine) almost tacked on another Mustangs goal prior to the intermission, but Lapponese was able to knock the ball aside and the teams would head into the break with score remaining 1-0 in favor of the home team.
Second half action started much like the first half with the Mustangs getting an early corner, taken by junior Sarah Hemstock (Northford, Conn.). Lapponese was able to stop the first shot from Minicucci, but she was able to find her own rebound and find the back of the cage for her second goal of the game. Minicucci continues to lead the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in goals with 20 and total points with 47. Mount Ida continued to control possession throughout the half, pushing the offensive attack at every opportunity. Mustangs goalkeeper Grace Ryan (Livermore Falls, Maine) had a quiet night, making only one save.
With the win, Mount Ida moves to 8-7 overall and 2-4 in GNAC action, while the Blazers fall to 4-11 overall and remain 3-0 NECC play. Both teams return to action on Saturday and will take on respective conference opponents. The Mustangs travel to GNAC newcomer Regis (Mass.) for their final regular season game with the start time set for 11:00am, while the Blazers travel to Wheelock for a 11:00am start.
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Founded in 1899, Mount Ida College is a small, private college in Newton, Massachusetts, providing career-focused programs built upon a strong foundation in the social sciences, humanities and the arts, all developed and implemented to prepare our approximately 1,450 students for success. The College is comprised of the School of Applied Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Design and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, awarding associate, bachelor and master's degrees. www.mountida.edu