Zubkus Scores Twice, Field Hockey Wins Third Straight, Downs Saint Anselm, 4-2, Wednesday
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Paced by two goals from junior Christine Zubkus (Dover, N.H.), the Merrimack College field hockey team won its third straight contest, 4-2, over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference action on Wednesday afternoon at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Saint Anselm 2
Records: Merrimack (8-5, 4-3 NE-10) | Saint Anselm (6-5, 2-4 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field |North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
After back-to-back victories that saw it outscore the opposition by a 10-2 margin, Merrimack returned home eyeing a season sweep of Saint Anselm after defeating the Hawks up in Manchester earlier in the year.
Merrimack soared out of the gate with back-to-back goals 12 seconds apart, as Zubkus finished off a rebound that deflected out to her at 6:44 to put the hosts up early.
On the ensuing restart, sophomore Hannah Magerman (Franklin, Mass.) barreled down the left flank and maneuvered through the defense before sliding a reverse stick drive through traffic and into the back of the cage, giving the Warriors a sudden 2-0 lead early in the first stanza.
Six minutes later, Zubkus buried her fifth on the year off a tap feed from Magerman; the Dover, New Hampshire, native took a few steps before blasting a stick drive from the top of the circle into the right side of the twine, giving the Warriors a 3-0 advantage at 12:41.
Meaghan Halligan scored off a rebound through traffic five minutes later to get Saint A's on the board, but freshman Taylor Simpson (York, Maine) gave the Warriors one last tally late in the half after tipping in a blast from junior Sydney Bowker (Schenectady, N.Y.) to make it 4-1 at the break.
In the second half, Merrimack withheld a number of Saint Anselm chances, as the Hawks had six penalty corners in both frames; sophomores Elizabeth Egan (South Dennis, Mass.) and Sarah Sparks (Falmouth, Maine) each posted defensive saves to aid junior Madison Davis (San Jose, Calif.), who allowed only one last goal at 61:52 to preserve the victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack finished with a 27-16 edge in shot attempts with 15 on net, including a 14-5 lead in the second half
- Saint A's owned a 12-6 lead in penalty corners on the night
- Davis finished five stops in net, while Katherine Sears made 10 saves for the visitors
Up Next
Merrimack will shoot for four straight wins this Friday (Oct. 31) night, as the Warriors travel to Assumption for an important league showdown at 7 p.m.
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