DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth field hockey team made a strong charge, but could not hold off Plymouth State University, falling 5-4 in Little East Conference action on Saturday at Cressy Field. The victory moves the Panthers to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while the Corsairs slip to 4-14 overall and 1-4 in the LEC.
Trailing by a 4-1 margin, the Corsairs battled back, making it a one-score game before the end of the second quarter of action. Senior midfielder and captain
Jenna Carvalho pulled it to 4-2 at the 25:45 mark, firing in a shot past Panthers keeper Kayla Antonucci.
The Corsairs closed the gap just over a minute later as sophomore forward
Sam King fired in a shot toward goal. Classmate and defender
Sophia Bouffard was there at the left post, tipping the shot in to make it a 4-3 game just before halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter of play, the two teams headed into the final frame with victory on their minds. The Panthers struck first as graduate midfielder Alessia Salzillo corralled a pass up from classmate and forward Mackenzie Labrie, firing past senior goalie
Hannah Trombly at 52:36.
Six minutes later, the Corsairs struck once again as rookie forward
Kenzie Bliven fired the ball across the mouth. King was there, banking in the shot to make it a 5-4 game. The Corsairs worked to get the ball back, but the Panthers held strong for the win.
Salzillo led the Panthers with two goals, while junior midfielder Ellie Monahan had a goal and two assists. Antonucci earned the win for the Panthers, finishing with six saves. Senior Piper Sherbert came on in relief for the final two quarters, making two saves.
For the Corsairs, King and Bliven each finished with a goal and an assist. Bouffard recorded two defensive saves on the afternoon, while starting goalie
Shane Cueman recorded four saves in goal before giving way to Trombly, who recorded 11 saves over the final three quarters.
The Corsairs return to the field on Tuesday, traveling to Northampton, Mass., for a 6pm game at Smith College.
