Field Hockey Comes up Just Short at Holy Cross, 2-1

Wednesday, September 25

Worcester, Mass. / Hart Field

6 p.m.

Sacred Heart

(2-6)

Holy Cross

(4-4)

Sacred Heart

Holy Cross

Photo by: Kristen Barrett / Yale

Field Hockey Comes up Just Short at Holy Cross, 2-1

9/25/2024 7:58:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Benson nets second goal of season

By: Matthew Janik

WORCESTER, Mass. (September 25, 2024) – The Sacred Heart University field hockey team dominated the run of play on the road on Wednesday night. The Pioneers held advantages of 22-9 in shot attempts, 18-8 in shots on goal and 8-1 in penalty corners. Unfortunately, the one spot they came up short at Hart Field was the one that mattered: the scoreboard. Kendall Blomquist and Sarah Potter struck on either side of halftime to stake host Holy Cross to a 2-0 lead. Celia Benson (Scituate, Mass.) got one back late for SHU, but the Pios came out on the short end of a 2-1, non-conference decision.

SHU (2-6) held a 7-4 advantage in shot attempts in the first half, but it was Holy Cross (4-4) which found the back of the net first, with just 64 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Crusaders put a long shot toward the goal from the right side, which Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) was able to turn aside. However, Blomquist corralled the rebound outside the right post and ushered it home for her second goal of the season.

The Crusaders would double the lead just 97 seconds on the other side of halftime, to make it two goals in a span of 2:38 of playing time. Meredith Schepens set up Potter with space to maneuver on the left side of the circle. From there, the latter reversed her stick and cleanly beat both the defense and Maresca for her fourth goal of the campaign.

SHU would continue to amass a statistical advantage, but was unable to solve Mia McCloskey until the 53^rd minute. The Pioneers' lone goal of the night came off a corner play, with Amelia Pellegrini (Wallingford, Pa.) inserting to Hannah Fawle (Collaroy, Australia) on the left side. Fawle took a low shot form there and Benson was stationed out front to deflect the ball into the upper reaches of the cage for the second goal of her first collegiate season.

The Pios recorded one further shot from there, which McCloskey turned aside in the 57^th minute to preserve the 2-1 victory for Holy Cross.

Maresca (2-6) finished with six saves against eight shots and suffered the loss in the SHU net. McCloskey (4-4), in her first collegiate season, piled up a season-best 16 saves on 17 shots on the way to the win.

SHU is back in action on Friday, with a Northeast Conference contest at Merrimack. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at Duane Stadium in North Andover, Mass.