LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (October 13, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University field hockey team was unable to dig out of a 2-0 halftime hole on the road on Friday night. Ally Frampton (Somerdale, N.J.) found the net in the third quarter, but the Pios could not find a late equalizer and suffered a 2-1, Northeast Conference defeat at Rider.
 
Rider (6-7, 3-1 NEC) built up a 2-0 lead with a goal in each of the first two quarters. The opener came off a second-minute corner, when Willemijn Ephraim put a shot through traffic and home from the right side for her team-leading fifth of the season. In the second quarter, a 29^th-minute shot trickled behind the goalkeeper and Valeria Perales was there to finish things off for her fourth of the campaign.
 
SHU (3-9, 1-3 NEC) was getting outshot 14-1 at halftime, but bounced back after halftime and held its own the rest of the way. Frampton got the Pios on the board just 82 seconds into the third quarter, in the aftermath of a corner play. Mira Poelzer (Munich, Germany) had the initial shot from the right side, and Frampton was in the area to cash in the rebound for her second of the year.
 
The Pioneers generated one further shot in the fourth quarter, in the 58^th minute, but Carlee Fulton (6-7) made her second save of the game to finish off the Rider victory. Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) stopped eight of 10 shots in defeat for SHU.
 
The Pios are right back at it on Sunday, when they return home to host Dartmouth in a non-conference contest at 4 p.m. at Johnson Field in New Haven. The game will be SHU's annual "pink game", promoting breast cancer awareness.