Sept. 26, 2008

Final Stats

Fairfield, CT - Senior Carisa Eye (Nesconset, NY) scored all three Sacred Heart goals and senior Whitney Mills (Harrisburg, PA) made five saves in net to preserve a 3-1 Pioneer victory in the Northeast Conference field hockey opener for both teams Friday afternoon at a wet Campus Field.

The Pioneers got on the board first when Eye tipped home a shot by sophomore Whitney Russo (Waterville, ME) at the 11:11 mark. The Colonials tied the game up six minutes later. Maddy Carroll fired a shot from the top of the circle and Jillian Howley was in front to deflect the ball past Mills to knot the score at 1 heading into halftime.

The wet conditions slowed the game down, keeping quality offensive chances to a minimum. However, the Pioneers took advantage of an opportunity midway through the second half when senior Melissa Mazin (Putnam Valley, NY) found opening at the top of the circle and ripped a shot that found Eye's stick in the middle of a crowd in front of the net and deflected high into the cage.

Eye iced the game for the Pioneers with 1:15 left in the second half. As Sacred Heart cleared their defensive zone, Eye was all alone up field. Once she corralled the loose ball, Eye made a move past a defender and rifled a shot into the back of the game to complete the hat trick.

SHU held a 15-10 advantage in shots for the game. Colonial goaltender Stephanie Seeley made two saves in a losing effort.

The Pioneers are back in action on Sunday when they visit St. Joseph's. Game time in Philadelphia is set for 3:00 pm.