Bensaia Tallies Goal, Assist in 4-3 Win vs. UMass Lowell

Sunday, October 22

Durham, NH

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

(6-10, 3-3AE)

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(8-10, 2-5AE)

UMass Lowell

New Hampshire

Photo by: Vincent Dejana

10/22/2017 5:58:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Gianna Bensaia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) recorded a goal and an assist to lead the University of New Hampshire field hockey team to Sunday afternoon's 4-3 victory against UMass Lowell at Memorial Field.

Katie Audino (Severn, Md.), Taylor Scafidi (Waltham, Mass.) and Kayla Sliz (Ajax, Ontario) were the Wildcats' other goal scorers. UNH goalkeeper Kelsey Rudert (North Grafton, Mass.) made seven saves.

UML was led offensively by Clara Defourt and Sophie Gehrels, both of whom tallied a goal and an assist. Eva Berkhout stopped 14 shots and Kelly Mankowich was credited with a defensive save.

New Hampshire, which led 3-0 at halftime and held a four-goal advantage, improves to 6-10 overall and 3-3 in America East. UMass Lowell is now 8-10, 2-5.

UP NEXT

UNH returns to action Oct. 27 at home against the University at Albany. The Senior Day start time is 3 p.m.

GAME INFO
Date: October 22, 2017
Location: Memorial Field (Durham, N.H.)
Attendance: 231
Score: New Hampshire, 4, Dartmouth 3
Updated Records: UNH (6-10, 3-3 AE), UMass Lowell (8-10, 2-5 AE)

GAME RECAP

Bensaia quickly gave the 'Cats a 1-0 lead at 4:58 when she corralled a pass outside the top of the circle, surged past a defender and, from the middle of the circle, blasted a low shot into the left corner of the cage.
Audino scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season at 17:26 to extend the advantage to 2-0. Berkhout stopped Scafidi's initial shot from close range, but Audino jammed in the rebound at the left post.
Bensaia advanced down the right wing and her entry pass to the middle of the circle was swept into the cage by Sliz for a 3-0 lead at 27:03.
New Hampshire took that three-goal and 14-7 shot advantage into halftime.
Scafidi extended the margin to 4-0 at 42:28. An entry hit to the middle of the circle deflected off Bloem van den Brekel (Eindhoven, Netherlands) to the left side and Scafidi fired a shot into the open left side.
The River Hawks scored three goals in less than 13 minutes to pull within one goal.
UML converted a penalty corner into a goal at 48:28. Katie Lynes' insert went directly to Defourt on the left side, and her shot was tipped in by Gehrels.
Less than three minutes later, a UNH turnover inside the 25 led to a River Hawks' goal at 51:21. Lynes collected the ball just inside the 25 and sent a pass ahead to Anouk Lalonde, who dribbled the ball twice before sending a shot into the right side of the cage.
The combination of Defourt and Gehrels combined to produce another goal off a corner. Instead of shooting from the top of the circle, Gehrels' reverse flick went to Defourt on the left wing and her shot crossed the goal line at 61:05 to trim the margin to 4-3.
UML called a timeout with 2:52 remaining and pulled Berkhout in favor of an extra field player, but never advanced the ball past midfield the rest of the way.
UNH secured the win by keeping possession in the left corner a majority of the final three minutes.

UNH NOTEBOOK

New Hampshire improved to 7-1 lifetime against UMass Lowell.
This marked the sixth consecutive meeting decided by one goal, and the second by a 4-3 score in favor of the Wildcats.
Both the four goals and 26 shots marked UNH's second-highest totals of the season.
The three points are a season high for Bensaia, who has tallied a point six of the last nine games. Bensaia has climbed to second on the team in assists (five) and third in points (11).
Audino leads the 'Cats in goals (eight) and points (19).
van den Brekel tallied four points (1g, 2a) in two games this week. She has a point in 5 of 6 games and 7 of 9.
van den Brekel is UNH's assist leader (seven) and ranks second in points (17).

SHOTS: UNH 14-12–26. UML 7-11–18.

PENALTY CORNERS: UNH 0-4–4. UML 2-3–5.

GOALS
UNH (4): Katie Audino, Gianna Bensaia, Taylor Scafidi, Kayla Sliz
UML (3): Clara Defourt, Sophie Gehrels, Anouk Lalonde

ASSISTS
UNH (2): Gianna Bensaia, Bloem van den Brekel
UML (3): Clara Defourt, Sophie Gehrels, Katie Lynes

SAVES
UNH: Kelsey Rudert 3-4–7 (70:10; 3 GA) [WIN]
UML: Eva Berkhout 7-7–14 (67:08; 4 GA) [loss] … Empty net [2:52]

DEFENSIVE SAVES
UNH (0)
UML (1): Kelly Mankowich