Daugherty's Hat Trick Propels No. 6 Merrimack to 5-3 Bounce-Back Win at Stonehill
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Down by a goal with less than 20 minutes to play, the No. 6 Merrimack field hockey team scored the final three tallies of the match, propelling the Warriors to a pivotal 5-3 bounce-back victory over Stonehill on Saturday afternoon in Easton, Mass.
Three days after dropping a heartbreaker at home against Assumption, the Warriors (8-2, 2-1 Northeast-10 Conference) managed to rally from another late deficit while securing an important victory in the process.
After both teams entered the break tied at 2-2, the Skyhawks (5-6, 1-2 NE-10) moved ahead with a goal at 51:56 of the second half, putting the Warriors on the brink of defeat for the second straight game.
But Merrimack did not fret despite the late deficit, as the Warrior offense saw four different players record at least one point to account for the final three unanswered scores.
Senior forward April Daugherty (Wakefield, R.I.) led the visitors with her second hat trick of the season – with two of her three goals coming in the second half – upping her goal total to 11 on the year, a mark that ranks second on the team.
Freshman defenseman Sydney Bowker (Niskayuna, N.Y.), meanwhile, added her first collegiate goal at the most opportune of times, tipping in a long shot to account for the game-winning tally with only three minutes to play. From there, Daugherty would add one late insurance strike to account for the final margin of victory.
"That was a strong win for us on the road," head coach Anne Rounce said afterward. "Overall a nice team effort, and it was great to see a number of others get involved on the offensive attack."
Senior midfielder Jamie Spano (Reading, Mass.) opened the scoring just 4:40 into the first half, taking a pass from junior Candace Waldie (North Andover, Mass.) before beating Stonehill goalkeeper Elizabeth Genovese (nine saves) to give the Warriors an early 1-0 lead.
But Stonehill would answer with two goals within the span of a minute, as first Erika Kelly tipped in a shot from Kelsey Davis before Devin Ingersoll gave the home side a lead on an unassisted strike at 13:36.
Down, 2-1, Daugherty notched the first of her three strikes just over a minute later, knocking in a rebound in front of the keeper at 14:38 to tie the contest at 2-2. That would be the last scoring play for the remainder of the first half, one that Stonehill held a slim 12-10 advantage in shot attempts during.
Both defenses would hold up through the first 15 minutes of the second half before Kelly one-timed a pass from Jennifer Foley at 51:56 to push the home side ahead, 3-2, with less than 20 minutes to play.
But down by one, Daugherty tied the match up on a goal from the left side after maneuvering around a defender, beating Genovese at 62:38 to even the match at 3-3.
With overtime looming and the score still tied with three minutes left, Bowker tipped in a shot from classmate Christine Zubkus (Dover, N.H.) past Genovese near the far post to give the Warriors a lead they would never relinquish in the 68th minute. Daugherty would put the game away with a breakaway goal in the final minute of play, wrapping up the 5-3 win on her 11th goal of the season.
Senior goalkeeper Kerri Bergquist (Mashpee, Mass.) notched 10 saves and benefitted from a defensive save from junior Sarah Dunbar (Hubbardston, Mass.), while both teams finished with 19 shot attempts apiece.
Next up, the Warriors return home to face conference foe Bentley on Tuesday, Oct. 2. First whistle from Martone-Mejail Field is set for 7 p.m.
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