NEWTON, Mass. (10/4/16) – The Lasell field hockey team broke a four-game skid in shutout fashion against the Pilgrims of New England College, 4-0, on Tuesday afternoon at Grellier Field.
The non-conference win boosts the Lasers to 7-5 overall, while the Pilgrims fall to 3-9 this season.
Sophomore Julia Franzik (Wallingford, Conn.) got on the board twice for the Lasers, while junior Leah Sullivan (Mansfield, Mass.) and freshman Samantha Taylor (Hanover, Mass.) scored a single marker apiece.
The Lasers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Taylor notched her team-leading 9th goal of the season 1:07 into play. Lasell controlled the field in the majority of the first half, contributing 15 shots in the frame. Taylor and classmate Mindy Esposito (Sunderland, Mass.) combined for five shots on net over the stretch, but were stopped by NEC junior Michaela Clark (Dorchester, Mass.). Clark was a solid force in the back for the Pilgrims, stopping 10 shots on net before Sullivan Lasell snuck one in before half.
Clark continued her impressive performance in the second half, as three opening shots to net were turned away by the junior keeper. Taylor set up a penalty corner for the Lasers in the 44th minute that found junior Erica Connors (South Berwick, Maine) who set up Franzik for the third game of the contest, and her third of her season. Franzik put the game out of reach with eight minutes left in regulation, as Esposito sent a ball across the net for the 4-0 shutout.
Junior Denise Landry (New Milford, Mass.) and the Lasell defense yielded the Pilgrims to just four shots, with Landry saving all three on net. With her second shutout of the season, Landry improves to 7-4 overall. Despite the deficit, Clark recorded 17 saves in the effort, and moves to 3-8 overall.
Lasell returns to Grellier Field on Saturday October 8 when they host crosstown rival Mount Ida College in a 12:00 conference test. The Pilgrims return to NAC action that same day at 7:00 pm., as they take on Castleton under the lights in Castleton, Vt.
