Field Hockey Slips at Becker in NECC Opener

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

LEICESTER, Mass. – The Elms College field hockey team had head coach Jennifer Ouellette's return to her alma mater spoiled as host Becker College defeated the Blazers, 2-0, in their New England Collegiate Conference opener at Alumni Field Saturday afternoon.

After nearly 25 minutes of scoreless play, the Hawks dented the scoreboard on an unassisted tally from sophomore Brittney Bebeau (Harrisville, R.I.) from the center of the attacking zone. Becker held the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.

Elms had an opportunity to knot the game in the 51^st minute of play, as senior forward Meghan Goodrow (Sunderland, Mass.) found space on a penalty corner and ripped a shot on net, but Hawks junior goalie Gabrielle Gallo (Northport, N.Y.) made a key save to preserve the Becker lead.

The Hawks pulled away from the Blazers with 34:05 remaining in the contest as Bebeau put back a rebound from senior Amy Giguere (Colrain, Mass.) to secure the 2-0 win for Becker.

The Blazers paced the Hawks in the shot column, 12-8, during the match. Elms junior keeper Samantha Alvino (Holtsville, N.Y.) stopped three shots, while Gallo made a game-high seven saves for Becker.

The Blazers move to 2-11 overall, and 0-1 in NECC play, while Becker improves to 2-10, 1-0 on the season. Elms will return to the field in a home non-conference match against Fitchburg State at Leary Field on Tuesday. Faceoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.

ELMS FIELD HOCKEY