SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Powered by tallies from six different players, including four by junior Diana Banmann, the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team defeated Regis College, 10-0 in the season opener for both teams. The Lyons, who posted 50 shots in the contest, also saw rookie Liz DiCesare post her first collegiate shutout.
MHC got things going quickly as senior forward Victoria Beja-Glasser (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) connected off a nice feed from junior middie Kirsten Kilburn (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) at 5:59. Just over a minute later, Kilburn notched the second of her game-best three assists on the day, chipping a nice pass from the high slot to junior Christine Ianni (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill) for the 2-0 advantage.
Banmann (Hannover, Germany/University of Potsdam) followed with her first collegiate goal at 8:24 after blasting a high arching shot into the top corner off a solid pass from first year forward Charlotte Wagner (West Chester, Pa./Westtown School).
A tally by Kilburn on the corner and another score by Banmann had the homestanding Lyons up by a 5-0 margin at halftime with a 24-2 shots margin.
In the second half of action, Banmann continued to shine, netting her third of the contest off a feed from sophomore Sarah LaQuerre (Old Orchard Beach, Maine/Cheverus) just over a minute into the frame. Wagner made it a 7-0 advantage at 43:08, followed by Ianni second of the contest off a scrum in front of the goal.
Banmann went on to grab her fourth goal at 55:09 and junior forward Chrissy Boyles (Harvard, Mass./Acton Boxborough) wrapped up the scoring for the Lyons with an unassisted marker.
DiCesare recorded one save in the goal over 53:27 minutes of action. First year Ally Tessier (Coventry, R.I./Portsmouth Abbey School) came on for the final 16:33 in relief but was not forced to make a save.
For Regis, sophomore goalie Raegan Heck (Phillipston, Mass./Narragansett Regional) was incredible in goal, stopping 24 of 36 shots that the Lyons threw on goal.
Mount Holyoke, which held a 6-0 advantage in corners for the game, is back in action on Thursday when it travels to Nichols College for a 7pm tilt. Regis returns to the field on Wednesday, hosting Framingham State at 6pm.
