FIELD HOCKEY: Seniors lead Anna Maria past Rivier

The Basics:

-Score: Anna Maria College 3, Rivier University 0

-Records: Anna Maria (5-10, 2-4 GNAC), Rivier (3-10, 0-6 GNAC)

-Location: Paxton, Mass. (AMCAT Field)

- The Lead: The Anna Maria College field hockey team got contributions from all three seniors Saturday on Senior Day as the AMCATS blanked Rivier University, 3-0, in a key Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at AMCAT Field. Senior Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) tallied the game-winning goal, classmate Nicole Denver (Springfield, Mass.) recorded two assists, and fellow senior Bryanna Tobin (Deep River, Conn.) made four saves in goal to post the shutout.

How It Happened:

-Lapierre and Denver worked together to put the AMCATS on the board 13 minutes into the first half. Denver sent a pass from the top of the circle to Lapierre on the right side, and she fired a big shot through traffic into the goal for her third of the season, and what would prove to be the game-winner.

-Freshman Chayna Bingham- Hendricks (Mashpee, Mass.) pushed the AMCAT lead to 2-0 in the 29th minute when she tipped in a shot by Denver near the left side of the goal for her third goal of the season.

-The AMCATS added an insurance goal midway through the second half as Bingham-Hendricks took a shot from the left side that made its way past the goalie, and sophomore Allyson Shaw (Holden, Mass.) was there to redirect the ball into an open right on the right side. It was also Shaw's third goal of the season.

-Tobin preserved the whitewash with 15 minutes remaining on a point-blank save against Rivier junior Linsey Roth (Tyngsboro, Mass.) for her first shutout of the season and the second of her career.

Inside the Numbers

-Anna Maria finished with a 15-5 advantage in shots, and a 16-3 margin in penalty corners.

-Junior Emily Foster (Lebanon, N.H.) made 10 saves in the Rivier goal.

-With her two assists on the day, Denver leads the team in scoring with 25 points (10 goals, 5 assists).

-Bingham-Hendricks leads the AMCATS with six assists on the season.

- Anna Maria is now in a four-way tie for fourth-place in the GNAC, along with Regis College, Mount Ida College and Johnson & Wales University, with all four teams at 2-4 in conference play. Only three of the four teams will advance to the GNAC playoffs. 

Up Next:

-The AMCATS play their final three regular season games on the road, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 17, with a non-conference match-up at Fitchburg State University (4:00 p.m.) Rivier is back in action next Saturday, Oct. 21, with its GNAC finale at Johnson & Wales (1:00 p.m.)

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