BURLINGTON, Vt. (August 25, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University field hockey team got its 2023 season started on Friday afternoon, with the front end of a two-game weekend trip to the Green Mountain State. Isabelle Chamberlain (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) struck for a goal and an assist in the first game at a newly-resurfaced Moulton Winder Field, but the Pios dropped a 6-2 decision on the road at Vermont. Sophia Drees put together a six-point day (2-2-6) to lead the Catamounts, while Helena Stoever (Fair Haven, N.J.) notched her first career goal for SHU.
 
The season opener for both squads was the opener of a three-day, three-team round robin at Winder Field. SHU will take on No. 8 nationally ranked Syracuse at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while Vermont will square off with the Orange on Sunday.
 
The first quarter was relatively quiet, with the two sides combining for just three shots in the season's first 15 minutes. One of the shots found paydirt though, as Vermont opened the scoring in the 11^th minute. On the right wing, Sophia Lefranc fed the ball to Alina Gerke, who carried to the cop of the circle, reversed her stick and tucked a waist-high shot inside the left post.
 
The second frame featured action at both ends as well and was a little livelier, with a quintet of corner opportunities. SHU used three corners to generate a pair of shots, but could not solve the Vermont defense. Instead, it was the Catamounts which struck twice in the 20^th minute to grow the lead to 3-0.
 
First, Gerke and Lefranc connected again, on a nifty give-and-go through the middle of the circle, with the former finishing off her second of the afternoon right out front. Just 45 seconds later, off a penalty corner, Meg Weyer inserted to Haley Buffenburger, who teed the ball up for Sophia Drees. Drees shoved a shot through traffic and found the back of the cage to make it a three-goal game.
 
SHU got on the board just on the other side of halftime, 41 seconds into the third quarter, off its fourth penalty corner of the afternoon. Ines Braithwaite (Oxford, England) received the entry feed from Blaire Sparks (Medford, N.J.), and then dished to the left for Isabelle Chamberlain (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom). The senior used some slick stickwork to open a shooting lane on the left side of the circle, reversed her stick and put home a shot, for her first goal since Oct. 3, 2021 at UMass Lowell.
 
From there though, it was all Catamounts fo the remainder of the quarter, as Drees in particular helped Vermont pull away. In the 34^th minute, she provided an aerial feed from midfield which Mora Fernandez de Oliveira finished off in the goalmouth. In the 43^rd, Drees put away her second of the game, with another long shot through traffic off a corner. It was yet another corner goal in the 45^th minute, as Drees shot again, this time setting up a deflection goal for Lefranc. The goal capped Drees' impressive outing and finished off a four-point day (1-2-4) for Lefranc.
 
SHU got one back in the 54^th minute, on the first collegiate goal for junior Helena Stoever (Fair Haven, N.J.). Once again, the Pios capitalized on a corner, which they went 2-for-7 on for the day. Once again, SHU ran the play for Chamberlain at the top of the circle, and once again the senior sent the ball towards the net. This time, her shot found the stick of Stoever just in front of the goalkeeper, and Stoever was able to redirect the ball home for her first career goal, in her 12^th game for the Pioneers.
 
Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) started, made three saves against nine shots over the opening 48:33 and suffered the loss (0-1) in front of the SHU net. Brianna Cooper (Watertown, Mass.) took over for the remaining 11:27 and stopped the only shot on her goal.
 
Lauren Halenkamp (1-0) made three saves against five shots at the other end for Vermont.