SOUTH HADLEY, Mass (Oct. 10, 2012) – Powered by a pair of goals from sophomore Kirsten Kilburn, the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team defeated Simmons College by a 3-0 margin in non-conference action at the MHC Turf Field. With the victory, the Lyons improve to 6-5 on the season, while the Sharks move to 4-11 overall.
Kilburn (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) got things going at the 10:30 mark of the opening half after she collected the ball off a corner and stepped into the arc. Not seeing a shot, Kilburn dropped it back to senior Stephanie Pascual (Lawrence, Mass./Proctor Academy (NH), who sent the ball back seconds later as Kilburn rifled it into the net.
The Lyons gained the 2-0 advantage just 8:43 later as Kilburn once again blasted a shot from the top of the arc that sailed through traffic and in.
Simmons had a tough time overcoming the Mount Holyoke defense, posting just two shots in the opening half. Sophomore Aslyn Dindorf (Fryeburg, Maine) had the Sharks lone shot on goal in the half, which was kick-saved out of play by MHC netminder Anne O'Byrne (Newbury, N.H./Proctor Academy).
In the second half, the Lyons continued to press on net and added to their lead at the 54:41 mark as sophomore Allison Slysz (Hatfield, Mass./Smith Academy) scored her first career goal. Kilburn earned the primary assist as she settled the ball of a corner by senior Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, Mass./Proctor Academy (NH) at the top of the arc before passing it to Slysz on the left. Settling low, Slysz fired a shot that arched up and into the net.
Mount Holyoke continued to have their chances in the second half, holding a 7-0 advantage in shots over the Sharks for the final 35 minutes. For the game, the Lyons led 23-2 in shots and held a 14-1 edge in penalty corners.
In goal, O'Byrne earned the victory, making one save over 67:58 of action. Sophomore Emma Ross (Glenshaw, Pa./Oakland Catholic) came on for the final 2:02 of relief, but was not forced to make any saves. For Simmons, junior Renna Smith (Belfast, Maine) made 13 saves.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Saturday in a 12pm match at Wellesley, while Simmons plays at Husson on Sunday, also at 12pm.
Front photo courtesy of Doug Keller.
