BOX SCORE

When and Where: September 30, 2017 – Manchester, N.H. (Larkin Field)
Score: Assumption College 3, Southern New Hampshire University 2
Records: SNHU 5-4 (2-3 Northeast-10), Assumption 5-5 (3-2 Northeast-10) 

Junior Maddie Holt (Seabrook, N.H.) scored a pair of second half goals, but a three-goal halftime deficit proved to be insurmountable Saturday, as the Southern New Hampshire University field hockey team fell to Assumption College, 3-2, in Northeast-10 Conference action at Larkin Field.

After surrendering three goals in the first 35 minutes of play, the Penmen trimmed the deficit two a pair 1:59 into the second half. Off a Southern New Hampshire penalty corner, senior Erin Frost (East Andover, N.H.) hammered a shot that was initially stopped by the Assumption goalkeeper before Holt pounced on the rebound between three defenders. Holt's first shot was turned aside, but she grabbed another rebound opportunity and tucked it around the keeper and just inside the right post to make it 3-1.

The score remained unchanged for the ensuing 19-plus minutes, as Assumption's Sarah Bodzinski piled up seven saves before Holt was able to solve her for a second time. Frost again keyed the play, as she sent a bounding ball from the right sideline to the top of the circle. Holt settled the feed and ran through five Greyhound defenders before Bodzinski came charging out of the cage, at which time Holt snuck a shot past the right pad to bring the Penmen within one with 13:45 left in regulation.

It would be as close as Southern New Hampshire would come, as Bodzinski made a pair of saves in the final seven minutes of play to keep the Assumption lead intact. The first opportunity for the Penmen came when junior Lindsey Poirier's (South Berwick, Maine) clearing attempt from the SNHU end ricocheted off the stick of a Greyhound and sprung Holt all alone to the top of the Assumption circle. As Holt ran onto the ball and wound up for a shot, Bodzinski had raced out and slid into a double-pad stack less than two yards away. Holt's bid careened off Bodzinski's pads, and a Greyhound defender cleared the rebound out of harm's way. The final chance occurred with just over two minutes left in regulation, as senior Amaris Taylor (Tulsa, Okla.) picked a defender's pocket before she turned and fired a shot on target that was booted out of danger.

The Greyhounds raced out to an early 3-0 lead with a trio of first half goals in a span of 12:46. Kristen McCarthy opened the game's scoring when she converted on a feed from Allison Sheahan at 12:16, and Sheahan doubled the advantage with 10:50 left in the first. Sheahan capped her five-point afternoon by potting her second goal of the day just 52 seconds later, and Assumption carried a three-goal cushion into the intermission.

Bodzinski earned the victory in the Greyhounds' cage after stopping 12 shots, 11 of which occurred in the final 35 minutes of play. Junior Melanie Rennie (Madison, Conn.) suffered the setback for the Penmen after making a pair of saves.

Notes:
- Southern New Hampshire outshot Assumption, 17-9, on the day and 16-6 in the second half. The Penmen put 14 shots on target while the Greyhounds saw five attempts end up on goal.
- With two goals on Saturday, Holt has now taken over the team lead in points with a career-high 12. Entering 2017, Holt had amassed a total of 11 points over the course of her first two seasons in a Penmen uniform.
- Southern New Hampshire is in the midst of its first three-game losing streak since September 17-24, 2016. The Penmen snapped out of the skid by winning seven of its next nine outings.

What's Next:
Southern New Hampshire continues Northeast-10 play on Wednesday (October 4) when it heads to Bentley University for a 6 p.m. contest against the Falcons.

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