Sept. 12, 2007

Final Stats

PROVIDENCE, RI - The Sacred Heart field hockey team snapped a four-game losing streak Wednesday afternoon posting a 4-2 win at Brown. The Pioneers built a 3-0 lead in the first half and tacked on a late goal in the second half to squash a Brown rally and come away with the victory. Junior Carisa Eye (Nesconset, NY) scored a pair of goals while senior Jenn Howley (North Salem, NY) added a goal and an assist in the win.

Sacred Heart carried the momentum during the first 35 minutes of play and relied on the strong play of junior goalie Kristen McIntire (Avon, CT), who turned away all three shots she saw in the first half and finished the game with 12 saves.

At the other end of the field, the Pioneers capitalized on their chances, scoring on their first possession and first shot of the game at 4:36. Eye hit a one-timer to the near post and in off a feed from junior Melissa Mazin (Putnam Valley, NY). Just 10 minutes later, at 14:07, Sacred Heart added another goal when Howley knocked in the rebound of a shot by junior Amy Hendricks (Milford, PA) on a Pioneer penalty corner.

The Bears picked up the pace of play for the final 20 minutes of the half, but couldn't find the back of the cage, despite earning eight penalty corners during this time. With 14 seconds left on the clock, Sacred Heart earned a penalty corner and had time to get set, before Hendricks fired a rocket past senior Kristen Hodavance with no time left on the clock for a 3-0 lead at the break.

The Bears rebounded in the second half and out shot the Pioneers 14-3 while earning an 8-1 advantage in penalty corners. On their seventh corner of the half, sophomore Jackie Connard put the Bears on the board with her first career goal at 55:02. After back-to-back shots by Sacco and senior Andrea Posa were saved, Connard picked up the lose ball and slipped it behind McIntire for a 3-1 score.

The Bears came to within 3-2 at the 59:32 mark when freshman Katie Hyland notched her first career goal. Brown continued to press for the equalizer, but the Pioneers gained possession of the ball with under five minutes remaining and added the insurance goal with just 2:17 left off the stick of Eye.

The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday afternoon when they face the #4 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. The game will be played at Fairfield University with game time slated for 1:00 pm.