SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Goals from five different scorers, including two each from junior Julia Bell and sophomore Charlotte Wagner, helped lift the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team to a 7-0 victory over Castleton State College in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the 17th-ranked Lyons improve to 4-1 overall. The Spartans slip to 0-4 on the season.
Mount Holyoke got things going quickly as senior captain and midfielder Kirsten Kilburn (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) tallied in the 10th minute. Wagner (West Chester, Pa./Westtown School) sent a perfect injection on the corner to the top of the arc, where Kilburn stepped in and blasted a shot through traffic into the left side.
Wagner then tallied in the 21st minute to make it a 2-0 game, firing in the rebound of a saved shot from Bell (Longmeadow, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson). Less than four minutes later, Bell netted the first of her two straight goals, tipping in a shot from senior captain Christine Ianni (Greenville, Del./Tower Hill) on the right side.
Bell's second tally, which came in the 27th minute, was another tip-in this time coming off a bullet shot from the left side by Kilburn. Mount Holyoke, which held a 22-1 advantage in shots for the opening half, headed into the intermission with a 4-0 advantage.
In the second half, the Spartans defense faced several tough shots and prevailed in the opening minutes. On a shot by Ianni, sophomore defender Jamie Nolan (Windsor, Vt./Windsor) was able to cover the open net and bat the ball away. Castleton State senior netminder Jess Galatioto (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) also made a great stop in the 40th minute, with a diving save on the right side off a backhanded shot from senior defender Allison Slysz (Hatfield, Mass./Smith Academy).
The Spartans were unable to hold off the Lyons much longer as first year midfielder Sophie Perekslis (Sheffield, Mass./Berkshire School) redirected in a shot by Kilburn on the left side to make it a 5-0 game. Wagner then netted her second of the contest in the 52nd minute, rifling a shot past the keeper on the left.
Following a goaltender change by the Spartans from Galatioto to sophomore Meeghan Doris (New Milford, Conn./New Milford), the Lyons tacked on a final goal to close out the scoring as first year midfielder Kathryn Rawson (Old Town, Maine/Old Town) pushed in her own rebound for the first of her collegiate career.
In goal, Mount Holyoke, which held a 38-3 advantage in shots for the game, saw goalie Liz DiCesare (Westford, Mass./Bishop Guertin) earn the victory, she was not forced to make any saves over the first half. Sophomore Mariesa Mazzone (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy) came on in relief in the second half, she made two stops.
For the Spartans, Galatioto posted 16 saves over 56:44 minutes of action. Doris made three stops over the final 13:16 of the contest.
The Lyons, who also held a 22-3 edge in corners, return to action on Wednesday when they welcome NESCAC-power Williams at 7pm. The Spartans return to the field on September 24, when they host Union College (N.Y.) at 7pm.
Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography.