LORETTO, Pa. (September 27, 2024) – Senior Dolores Zavaleta scored the deciding goal with three minutes to play to lift Saint Francis University to a 2-1 victory over Stonehill College in Northeast Conference field hockey action at DeGol Field this afternoon.
Highlights
- Dolores and sophomore Grace Reed scored goals to lead Saint Francis.
- Sophomore Mia DiGenova preserved the win with five saves, including four in the third quarter when Stonehill outshot Saint Francis 6-0 and held a 3-0 advantage on penalty corners.
- Senior Shannon Conte made eight saves in goal for Stonehill.
- Sophomore Julieta D'Antonio scored her first career goal for Stonehill to break a lengthy goal scoring drought by the Skyhawks to knot the score in the fourth quarter.
How It Happened
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Conte finished with eight saves in the Skyhawks goal (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)
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Saint Francis grabbed a first quarter lead when Reed followed up a block of her initial shot and deposited her first goal of the season into the left side of the cage with 5:30 to play in the frame.
- Conte, who made five of her eight stops in the first half, posted a pair of key stops in a scoreless second quarter and then Stonehill started to tilt the field in its favor in the third quarter, outshooting Saint Francis 6-0 and adding a 3-0 edge in penalty corners.
- Stonehill broke through and snapped a five game scoreless drought on its second of consecutive penalty corners as D'Antonio tallied her first collegiate goal with 4:33 remaining in the contest as she fired in a low shot into the left side of the cage off a pass from freshman Siena De Roeck off the corner insertion by freshman Tia-May Harlos.
- The D'Antonio marker awakened Saint Francis, who forced two more Conte saves before Zavaleta's winner with three minutes left provided the answer to D'Antonio's tying goal 93-seconds earlier.
Noteworthy:
- Conte now has 337 saves over her 42 career games in goal for Stonehill, moving within five stops of Elizabeth Genovese, '15 (342) for fourth all-time at the College.
- D'Antonio's first career goal snapped a scoreless streak of over 420-minutes dating back to the fourth quarter of Stonehill's 4-2 win over Central Michigan University on September 4.
- De Roeck and Harlos each collected their second assists of their first collegiate seasons and share the team lead along with classmate Emma McGrory.
- This afternoon marked the Skyhawks NEC opener.
Up Next
Stonehill (1-7, 0-1 NEC) is right back in action on Sunday when it visits the University of Vermont for a non-conference matchup in Burlington, Vermont, at 2 p.m. The Skyhawks home opener is next Friday, October 4, when they host Rider University for an NEC matchup at W.B. Mason Stadium at 3 p.m. Saint Francis (6-3, 2-0 NEC) visits Sacred Heart University next Friday at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and check out its all-new website, powered by Sidearm Sports, at stonehillskyhawks.com.
