WESTFIELD, Mass.  – Kristina Ramsden (Northampton HS/Florence, Mass.) scored a goal and added an assist as Mount Holyoke College bested Westfield State, 3-1, in the Owls field hockey home opener at Alumni Field on Tuesday night.

Ramsden picked up an assist on the Lyons's first goal, as she fed Mirjam Keochakian (Deerfield Acad./Hamburg, Germany), who lifted the ball over Owls goalkeeper Katie Vamosi (Oliver Ames/Easton, Mass.) for the goal and a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

Colby Newsham (Bromfield/Harvard, Mass.) scored what proved to be the game-winner, as she gathered a loose ball in the circle, spun and fired a shot that weaved through traffic to hit the backboard and give the Lyons a 2-0 lead just 2:32 into the second half.

Westfield got on the board in the 45th minute, as the Owls forced a penalty corner.  The ball worked its way to Marina Small (Monomoy/South Harwich, Mass.) who lifted a high shot, and Brittany Bowes (Leicester, Mass.) deflected it into the net at the back post to trim the lead to 2-1.

Mount Holyoke peppered the Owls with 32 total shots, but were unable to get an insurance goal until the 70th minute, when Mirei Golding-Powers (SFUHS/San Francisco, Calif.) crossed the ball from the right side to Ramsden, who knocked it in at the back post for the 3-1 final.

Vamosi made 13 saves in goal for the Owls, who also got a pair of defensive saves from Small.

MHC held a 32-6 edge in total shots, an 18-5 edge in shots on goal, and a 12-3 margin in penalty corners.

Morgan Turner (West Morris Mendham/Chester, N.J.) finished with four saves for Mount Holyoke, which improves to 2-2 on the season.

Westfield State is now 2-3 with the loss. The Owls travel to Johnson and Wales (RI) on Thursday for a non-conference game. Mount Holyoke plays again on Saturday in an 11:30am NEWMAC game at Clark University.

Game recap courtesy of Westfield State Athletic Communications.