FIELD HOCKEY'S LATE CHARGE FENDED OFF BY NORTHEASTERN, 3-2

Sunday, October 4

2 pm

University of New Hampshire

(5-5 (0-1))

Northeastern

(7-4 (1-1))

New Hampshire

Northeastern

10/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score

WHITNEY FRATES

BOSTON – Whitney Frates (Woodstock, Vt.) tallied a goal and an assist and Katherine Nagengast (Westborough, Mass.) recorded eight saves, but the University of New Hampshire field hockey team was edged 3-2 by Northeastern University at Sweeney Field on Sunday afternoon.

UNH moves to 5-5 on the season while NU is 7-4.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead at 10:10 when Crystal Poland's shot from the top of the circle on a penalty corner found the top-left corner of the cage. Anne-Rieke Stuhlmann, with the stop, and Carolyn Malloy were credited with assists.

Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass.) extended her point-scoring streak to 10 games with her 13th goal of the season, which leveled the score 1-1 at 25:25. Frates passed the ball into the circle and Shea scored on a redirection.

Northeastern regained the lead just 3:43 into the second half on Malloy's unassisted goal. The Huskies extended the advantage to 3-1 10 minutes later – at 48:45 – when Poland converted Annie Clayman's crossing pass into a goal.

The Wildcats fought back, however, and trimmed the deficit to 3-2 at 53:39 when Frates scored off a rebound on a penalty corner.

UNH was awarded a penalty corner in the 57th minute, and that produced a shot by Kyle Lyons (White River Junction, Vt.) that was blocked aside by the NU defense. The 'Cats generated another corner less than a minute later, and this time a shot by Cally Cooke (Newburyport, Mass.) was turned aside by Huskies' goalie Lizzie Priest (five saves).

Priest denied Kara Connolly (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) in the 60th minute and Kate Collins Smyth (Parteen, County Claire/Ireland) within the next minute to preserve the home team's one-goal lead.

Despite the fact that UNH generated a 4-0 edge in shots and a 2-0 advantage in penalty corners in the last 15 minutes of the game, the Wildcats could not score the equalizing goal.

“We kept fighting, coming back and we certainly pressed them at the end of the game,” UNH 19th-year head coach Robin Balducci said.

UNH tallied a 6-4 shot advantage and 3-0 edge in penalty corners in the second half. NU, however, held the 13-11 shot advantage in the game.

New Hampshire returns to action Oct. 7 (3 p.m.) at intrastate rival Dartmouth College. This Wildcats' next home game is Oct. 18 (3 p.m.) against Boston College.