Field Hockey Falls to UMass Dartmouth, 4-1

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's field hockey team defeated visiting Bridgewater State, 4-1, in the 2010 Little East Conference opener for both teams at Cressy Field Saturday.

Sophomore Eleanor Taylor (Fairhaven, Mass.) led the Corsairs with three goals en route to the victory.

With 27 minutes left in the first half, Taylor notched her first score of the game, gathering the rebound from a shot by senior forward Stephanie Kinchla (Falmouth, Mass.) and put the loose ball past Bears' goalkeeper Katie Weber (Arlington, Mass.) to give the Corsairs an early 1-0 edge.

UMass Dartmouth increased their lead to 2-0 when sophomore forward Erica Allan (Amherst, Mass.) knocked in on a rebound from a shot by senior defender Becca Festinger (Greenfield, Mass.). The score remained 2-0 in favor of the Corsairs going into halftime.

The Corsairs continued their offensive attack when senior Jacke Anderson (Medway, Mass.) found an open Taylor on the wing and deliver a crisp pass which Taylor put in the back of the goal, giving UMass Dartmouth a 3-0 advantage with 32:58 left in the game. Four minutes later, Taylor took a successful penalty shot for UMass Dartmouth, knocking the ball off the right post and into the goal, achieving her second hat trick of the season.

With 10:32 left to play, Bears senior forward Bethany Bush (Littleton, Mass.) prevented a shut out with a breakaway goal, beating two defenders and Corsair freshmen goalkeeper Kelsey Gallo (East Greenwich, R.I.), making it a 4-1 final score.

UMass Dartmouth out shot Bridgewater, 18-10. Gallo made six saves for the Corsairs, while Weber made six for the Bears.

The Corsairs improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in the LEC with the victory, while the Bears dropped to 0-2 and 0-1 in LEC play with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they host Endicott on Tuesday. BSU will visit Endicott on Thursday.