Field Hockey Posts 5-1 Home-Opening Win over Salve Regina

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University field hockey team posted a 5-1 win in their first home match of the season as the Bears knocked off visiting Salve Regina University on Thursday afternoon at Swenson Field.

Bridgewater improves to 2-4 with the non-conference win, while Salve falls to 0-8 on the season.

Senior forwards Bethany Bush (Littleton, Mass.) and Nicole Henrique (Swansea, Mass.) each tallied a pair of goals and added an assist to lead the Bears' five-goal outburst. Junior midfielder Breanna Clement (Pittsfield, Mass.) chipped in with a goal and a helper.

Clement got the Bears on the board early as she potted her first goal of the season off an assist from Bush just 2:45 into the game. Salve would even the score at 1-1 in the 16th minute off a penalty corner with senior forward Brittany Lopes (Lexington, Mass.) redirecting a Sophie Eldridge (Eastham, Mass.) shot into the back of the net.

Later in the opening stanza, Bridgewater would reclaim the lead for good on goals by Henrique and Bush less than two minutes apart. Henrique converted a nice crossing pass off the stick of sophomore midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) in the 27th minute, while Bush notched an unassisted tally just a minute and 54 seconds later. The Bears would take the comfortable 3-1 advantage into the intermission.

In the second half, Henrique recorded her team-leading sixth marker of the season in the 67th minute as she redirected a long strike from Clement past the Salve netminder. Just over two minutes later, Bush finished off a nice give-and-go with Henrique for her fifth goal of the season.

Bush has recorded at least one point in each of the last five games with a total of five goals and four assists during that stretch. 

The last time Bridgewater scored at least five goals in a game was a 5-0 shutout of UMass Dartmouth on October 4th of 2003.  Current BSU head coach, Erika Smith, not only played in that game but also scored one of the Bears' five goals.

Senior goaltender Katie Weber (Arlington, Mass.) made seven saves to pick up the win between the pipes for the Bears. Sophomore Helen Bohnenberger (East Falmouth, Mass.) turned aside nine shots for the visiting Seahawks. Bridgewater held a 27-9 shot advantage for the game as well as an 11-7 edge in penalty corners.

The Bears will host Little East Conference foe Keene State College on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Salve will look to get into the win column with a one o'clock Commonwealth Coast Conference match at home against New England College also on Saturday.