Field Hockey Edges Regis In Overtime

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

WESTON, Mass. – In a battle of unbeaten teams in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), the Elms College Field Hockey squad defeated host Regis College, 1-0, in overtime, at Regis Stadium Tuesday night. With the win, the Blazers move to 4-0 in the NECC, and 6-6 on the season, while the Pride drop to 6-5 overall, and 4-1 in conference play.

The Pride possess the offensive momentum in the first half, outshooting the Blazers, 14-1, in the opening frame. Elms sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Lapponese (Enfield, Conn.) made some clutch saves, stopping Regis senior Jenna Casello (Westborough, Mass.) on back-to-back attempts in the 17^th minute, followed by another big stop on a shot at the 28:30 mark to preserve a scoreless half.

The Blazers threatened late in the second half, but attempts from sophomore Madison Messier (Warren, Mass.) and senior Stephanie Esposito (Orange, Conn.) were blocked by Pride defenders, sending the contest to overtime with a 0-0 scoreboard.

Elms kicked their offense into high gear in the bonus period, posting shots from sophomores Jeszenia McGuire (Branfield, Mass.) and Marissa Mizzone (Orange, Conn.) in the 74^th minute. At the 78:07 mark, Esposito raced up the right sideline and played a ball to the front of the net, where Messier gathered, turned and fired a shot past Regis junior Maresa Malcolm (Barrington, N.J.) to send the Blazers to the 1-0 victory.

The Pride controlled the shot column, 20-8, during the contest. Lapponese stopped a match-high seven shots, while Malcolm made three saves for Regis.

The Blazers will return to action with a conference road trip to Daniel Webster College Thursday for a 4:00 p.m. match. Regis hosts Mount Ida in non-conference action Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

ELMS FIELD HOCKEY