Field Hockey Clinches America East Tourney Berth With 6-0 Win at UMass Lowell

Friday, October 24

6 pm

University of New Hampshire

(6-10, 3-1)

UMass Lowell

(5-11, 0-4)

Team	1	2	Final F
New Hampshire	4	2	6
UMass Lowell	0	0	0

10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass. – Meg Flatley (Townsend, Mass.) recorded a goal and an assist to propel the University of New Hampshire field hockey team to Friday night's 6-0 victory against UMass Lowell at Wicked Blue Field.

The Wildcats won their third consecutive game to improve to 6-10 overall and 3-1 in America East, and they also clinched a berth in the America East Championship tournament. UML is now 5-11, 0-4.

"I am pleased with the variety in our scoring and in the balance of the attack," 24^th-year head coach Robin Balducci said. "It's good to get our next conference win."

Flatley was one of six goal scorers for the Wildcats. Gianna Bensaia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), Lynne Lehman (Landisburg, Pa.) and Lindsey Nerbonne (Bow, N.H.) netted the other first-half goals. In the second half, Kellie Joyce (South Pomfret, Vt.) scored her first goal of the season and Taylor Scafidi (Waltham, Mass.) recorded her first career points on a late goal.

Jackie Hozza (Sinking Spring, Pa.) and Aggie Sutherland (Dauphin, Pa.) were credited with one assist apiece.

UNH's goalkeeper tandem of Carlie Tarbell (Wakefield, Mass.) and Melissa Rize (Severn, Md.) combined for the team's third shutout of the season. Tarbell now has a shutout streak of 209 minutes, 47 seconds spanning four games.

UMass Lowell goalie Kelsey Federico was credited with eight saves and Carrie Dresser recorded a defensive save.

The Wildcats generated a 15-6 shot advantage in the first half and finished with a 25-10 edge overall. The 'Cats also recorded more penalty corners (6-4).

Flatley gave UNH a 1-0 lead at 7:32 on a hard shot from the top of the circle for her team-leading 11^th goal of the year. Bensaia also scored an unassisted goal – her fifth tally of the season – when her shot ricocheted off a defender's stick into the cage at 11:31.

Lehman then one-timed Flatley's pass for her fourth goal of the season and a 3-0 Wildcats' lead at 20:01. UNH converted a penalty corner into a goal and four-goal advantage at 33:52 when Sutherland and Hozza set up Nerbonne's ninth goal of the year.

Joyce scored on a reverse-stick shot at 41:34 and Scafidi closed the scoring on a shot in front of the cage at 69:33.

Flatley climbed into a tie for No. 8 on UNH's career points leaderboard with Marcie Boyer (1999-2002) at 86 points (on 36 goals, 14 assists).

New Hampshire returns to action Oct. 26 (1 p.m.) at 12^th-ranked University of Michigan. The Wildcats' next home game is the Senior Day regular-season finale Nov. 2 (2 p.m.) against intrastate rival Dartmouth College.