AMCATS cruise past Wildcats, 9-1

Paxton, Mass. – Ten different AMCAT players registered a point today as the Anna Maria field hockey team rolled past the Wheelock College Wildcats by a score of 9-1. 

With the win the AMCATS improve to 11-5 on the season and 4-0 in conference play, while Wheelock drops to 1-12 (1-4 NECC) overall. The AMCATS have now qualified for the NECC tournament which is set to begin on Wednesday, October 30th. Since joining the NECC in 2012 Anna Maria is a perfect 10-0 against conference opponents.

The AMCATS opened the scoring 5:51 into the game when sophomore Kylie Dalbec (Portland, ME) hammered a backhand shot into the Wildcats net.  Anna Maria made it 2-0 in the 11th minute as Dalbec netted her second goal of the contest and her sixteenth goal of the season.  Fellow sophomore Katherine Landanno (Winchendon, MA) scored the next two goals for the AMCATS, her first and second of the season.  Landanno's first goal came at the 31 minute mark, as she cashed in on a penalty stroke opportunity.  Two minutes later, she put home a feed from Dalbec, splitting two Wildcat defenders to give Anna Maria the 4-0 advantage.

Wheelock junior Valerie Ferrante (Milford, MA) put the Wilcats on the scoreboard with twenty seconds left in the first half as she banged home a loose ball in front of the AMCAT goal, making the score 4-1 at the half. 

Anna Maria scored five more goals in the second half.  Sophomore Kayla Lapierre (Worcester, MA) scored her fifth goal of the season and freshman Kaitlyn Moran (Leicester, MA) netted her sixth.  Karissa Bardsley (Orange, MA), Destinee Lucier (Worcester, MA), and Lauren Beauregard (Hubbardston, MA) added goals for the AMCATS, each with their first collegiate tallies.

Senior goalie Michelle Greene (Mansfield, MA) was challenged early and often in the Wildcat net.  Greene holds the all-time saves record for Wheelock College, entering the contest with 499 for her career.  With a tremendous save on a Lauren Beauregard blast at the 6 minute mark, Greene notched the 500^th save of her career.  Greene finished the day with 16 saves in net for the Wildcats.     

The AMCATS return to action on Tuesday afternoon as they host Bay Path college in a conference match-up at 4:00 PM.