MANCHESTER, N.H. – A hat trick from senior forward
Rylie Hammond (Phillipston, Mass.) not only catapulted the Merrimack College field hockey program to an upset victory over No. 3 Saint Anselm – handing the Hawks their first loss of the season – but the fourth-year attacker also joined Merrimack's 100-point club in the process as the Navy and Gold recorded a marquee Northeast-10 Conference win on Wednesday night from Grappone Stadium.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, #3 Saint Anselm 2
Records: Merrimack (8-3, 4-2 NE10) | #3 Saint Anselm (10-1, 5-1 NE10)
Location: Grappone Stadium | Manchester, N.H.
Coaches Corner
Head coach
Megan Shea: "Saint Anselm is a very impressive team, however we stayed composed, stuck to our gameplan and came out with a win because of it. Rylie Hammond scored a big goal for us tonight to reach a well-earned 100 career points. We are very proud of her. I am feeling pretty excited right now, tonight was a team win."
Rapid Recap
- Two ninth-minute goals staked the hosts to an early lead. Following the opener at the 8:06 mark, the Hawks gained control off the restart, earned a corner and scored 53 seconds later to double their lead
- Senior forward Rylie Hammond (Phillipston, Mass.) brought Merrimack within one following a penalty corner. She picked up a blocked shot, carried the ball to the right post and scored with 12:12 on the clock to get Merrimack's goal-scoring started
- Hammond picked up the equalizer seven minutes later. She navigated the attacking zone to pounce on a loose ball, firing her 12th tally of the season home to make it a 2-2 game
- Less than two minutes into the second stanza, Hammond scored what proved to be the game-winner. Junior Delaney Yule (Southbury, Conn.) inserted a corner that senior Taylor Simpson (York, Maine) handled and directed a shot towards the goal mouth. Positioned right at the top of the crease, Hammond deflected the shot home to pot her third of the night
- Approaching the 60th minute, senior Mikayla Panneton (Andover, Mass.) buried an insurance marker to double Merrimack's lead
- Sophomore goalkeeper Katharina Ohmen (Bremen, Germany) faced three shots and two corners over the final seven minutes, making two saves to preserve the victory
Team Leaders (MC // STA)
Notes and Notables
- After Simpson became the fourth Warrior in program history to reach 100 career points on Friday, Hammond didn't waste any time joining her classmate. She entered the game with 94 career points, notching the six needed on the hat trick to join the exclusive club
- Merrimack's 100-point club features April Daugherty '12 (159), Candace Waldie '13 (119), Jen Otis '12 (113), Simpson (103) and Hammond (100)
- Hammond's team-leading 13 goals through 11 games ties her previous career high set as a sophomore
- Panneton's tally marked the Andover native's second-career goal and first since her rookie season
- Saint Anselm previous season high in goals allowed was two, which occurred in the Hawks' season opener
- Merrimack's four goals on Wednesday equaled the most Saint Anselm had allowed in its last six games combined
Up Next
Merrimack hosts Southern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. from Martone-Mejail Field.
