Field Hockey: Lady AMCATS outlast Wildcats, 5-3

Waterville, Maine – Sophomore Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) potted two goals  and senior Shannon Looney (Leicester, Mass.) dished out two assists as the Anna Maria College field hockey team downed Johnson and Wales University 6-3 at neutral site  Thomas College on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Nichole Lowe (Saugus, Mass.) added a goal and an assist, while teammates Luigina Cerro (Beverly, Mass.) and Kaitlyn Moran (Leicester, Mass) tallied single markers.

Johnson and Wales was led by freshman Cassandra McClaflin's (South Hadley, Mass.) two goals and an assist.

Anna Maria opened up the scoring at the 8:54 mark of the first half when Looney, positioned on the 30-yard line, drove a laser shot cross field to Lowe who one-timed it into an open net. Cerro gave the AMCATS a 2-0 lead when she finished off a pass from freshman Lauren Beauregard (Hubbardston, Mass.) just three minutes later.

Next to tip the scoresheet was Katie Moran, the midfielder found the back of the net after Wildcat netminder Jaclyn Lyons (Hillsborough, NJ) made an initial save of a Looney drive. Dalbec notched her first goal of the game at 24:09 of the first stanza to round out the AMCATS scoring in the first half.

JWU made it a 4-1 game just before halftime as Amanda Takach (Lindenhurst, NY) scored off an offensive corner.

JWU cut the lead to 4-2 just three minutes into the second half when McClafin deflected a shot passed AMCAT goalkeeper Mary Kate Breen (Londonderry, NH).

Dalbec, currently the scoring leader in the New England Collegiate Conference, posted her seventh goal of the season on a penalty stroke, after a Johnson & Wales defender committed an intentional foul inside the circle. Dalbec, poised and ready from seven yards out, flicked a shot high and right past the JWU goaltender for the 5-2 lead.

Sophomore Mary Kate Breen made four saves to earn her third win of the season, while Lyons had four saves in the loss. Anna Maria held the edge in both shots (13-9) and penalty corners (11-6).

Anna Maria will stay in Maine tonight and play Thomas College tomorrow at 12:00pm, JWU returns to action next Saturday when they host Regis at 11:00 am.