SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – First year Sophie Perekslis scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner, to lead the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team to a 4-1 win over Clark University in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on a rainy Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the #19 Lyons improve to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while the Cougars are now 6-4 and 0-2 in the NEWMAC.
It was an even opening to the first half, but Mount Holyoke found its momentum in the 21st minute as senior captain Kirsten Kilburn (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) sent a blistering shot in through traffic off a corner injection by sophomore Charlotte Wagner (West Chester, Pa./Westtown School). CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GOAL!
Perekslis (Sheffield, Mass./Berkshire School) then netted the first of her two tallies in the 22nd minute, deflecting a Kilburn shot on her backhand at the left post past the reach of Cougars goalie Christine Tinsman (Prairie Village, Kan./Pembroke Hill School). CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GOAL!
Perekslis's net goal came in similar fashion as she re-directed in a speedy shot off the stick of senior captain Christine Ianni (Greenville, Del./Tower Hill) in front in the 34th minute. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GOAL!
Clark got on the board just seconds after MHC's third tally as sophomore Megan Tighe (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) chipped the ball in to the left corner past a diving Liz DiCesare (Westford, Mass./Bishop Guertin). Sophomore Lauren Mackey (Dublin, N.H./ConVal Regional) earned the assist on the goal.
Mount Holyoke, which held a 12-2 advantage in shots for the opening half, rebounded to open the second stanza as junior Julia Bell (Longmeadow, Mass./Wilbraham Monson) got the ball past Tinsman on the right side. Kilburn earned the assist after she sent the ball in on goal off a pass from senior Allison Slysz (Hatfield, Mass./Smith Academy) at the top of the circle. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GOAL!
The Lyons held strong for the remainder of the contest, limiting the visitors to just three shots in the second stanza. For the game, MHC posted a 24-5 advantage in shots and held a decisive edge in corners with a 17-2 margin.
In goal, DiCesare moved to 7-2 on the season with a two save effort in the Mount Holyoke net. She played 60:07 before giving way to sophomore Mariesa Mazzone (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy), who was not forced to make a stop in 9:53 of relief. Tinsman moved to 5-3 on the season, stopping five shots in the loss for Clark.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday at 7pm as Mount Holyoke hosts Smith and Clark hosts WPI.
Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography
