Field Hockey Downs St. Joseph, 4-1

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The visiting Bridgewater State University field hockey team scored three times in the second half as the Bears pulled away for a 4-1 victory over the University of Saint Joseph on Tuesday afternoon at the USJ Athletic Conference.

The win marked the first of the 2021 season for the Bears who improve to 1-1. The host Blue Jays fall to 1-4 with their fourth straight setback.

Sophomore forward Zoe Bergeron (Blackstone, Mass.) notched her first collegiate goal and the Bears' first marker of the season with 12:23 remaining in the second period off a penalty corner. Stationed near the left post, Bergeron redirected a shot from senior forward Victoria Camara (Westport, Mass.) into the left side of the cage.

Sophomore forward Hannah Rolfe (Easton, Mass.) tallied her first collegiate goal with 9:35 left to play in the third quarter to make it a 2-0 game. After corralling a loose ball off  the rebound of a Katie Swart (Bridgewater, Mass.) attempt, Rolfe wristed a shot past the USJ keeper and inside the right post.

Less than three minutes later, Rolfe deflected a long shot from sophomore defender Erin Power (Byfield, Mass.) just inside the right post to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Blue Jays broke up the shutout bid at the 8:44 mark of the fourth period. Freshman forward Morgan Rhoades (Windsor, Conn.) collected a crossing pass in front of the net and slipped a backhander past the Bears' netminder to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Junior midfielder Sophia Morse (West Bridgewater, Mass.) answered for the Bears just 2:30 later. Morse corralled the rebound of a Kelly Sharkey (Salisbury, Mass.) shot and fired a wrister into the left side of the net for her first collegiate goal.

Bridgewater State finished with a 16-11 shot advantage for the game while penalty corners were even at six apiece.

BSU freshman goalkeeper Emily Ronan (North Billerica, Mass.) made six saves to record her first collegiate win. Ronan stopped a penalty stroke attempt late in the third period with the Bears holding a 3-0 lead.

Sophomore Wendy Bowden (Old Saybrook, Conn.) turned aside five shots between the pipes for the Blue Jays.

In upcoming action, the Bears host the Engineers of WPI on Thursday night at seven while the Blue Jays entertain Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Albertus Magnus College on Friday night also at seven.