Aryana Muscara 2
4
Winner Stevens STEVENS (7-2)
0
Drew DREW (2-8)
Winner
Stevens STEVENS
(7-2)
4
Final
0
Drew DREW
(2-8)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Stevens STEVENS 2 1 0 1 4
Drew DREW 0 0 0 0 0

Game Recap: Field Hockey | | Stevens Athletic Communications

Muscara’s Hat Trick Leads Field Hockey to 4-0 Win over Drew

Senior from Freehold, N.J., becomes first student-athlete since 2017 to secure hat trick

HOBOKEN, N.J. (Oct. 4, 2021) – Senior Aryana Muscara became the first field hockey student-athlete to record a hat trick since 2017 and lead Stevens Institute of Technology to a 4-0 shutout victory over Drew University Monday at Ranger Stadium.

Muscara netted one goal in the first, another in the second and her final in the fourth to become the ninth student-athlete in program history to secure a hat trick and the first since Victoria Alvarez did so on Oct. 11, 2017, against Stockton. The Ducks have now won six consecutive games and improve their overall record to 7-2 on the year while the Rangers dropped to 2-7.

Stevens also pitched a shutout as the combination of senior Emily Franco and sophomore Amanda Murnick, who made her collegiate debut, led a defense that allowed just one shot in the entire game.

In addition to Muscara's three tallies, junior Lynda Farinella also found the back of the cage for the Ducks for her second goal of the season to help the Ducks match their best start since the 2015 season when they won the Empire 8 Conference title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The first goal of the day for the Ducks happened just over three minutes into game action as Muscara inserted a ball on a penalty corner and found herself on the back post ready to clean up any deflections.

After Kila Eadie's initial shot was blocked, fifth year Brynn Froehlich was able to collect the ball and pass it to Muscara who buried it into the back of the cage.

It was Froehlich's third assists of the season and her second in as many games as now sits fifth on the team in points with five.

Near the end of the first quarter, Stevens struck once again on a fantastic individual effort from Farinella. With the ball just outside of the circle for Drew, the Rangers tried to clear the ball to the outside but were unsuccessful as Farinella jumped the pass, got past a defender a fired a shot across the turf and past the goalkeeper into the lower left corner of the cage to make the score 2-0.

It was Farinella's second goal of the season as she becomes the fifth student-athlete for the Ducks to have multiple goals this year.

The third goal of the night came in the 21st minute and was again scored on a penalty corner. After passing the ball in from the end line to junior Natalie Logan, Muscara got the ball right back and ripped a shot that was saved by the goalkeeper. Muscara was able to collect the rebound, however, and shoot once again, this time over the right arm of a defender and into the right side of the net for her second of the night.

The score remained 3-0 until early in the fourth quarter when Muscara completed the hat trick in interesting fashion. Taking control of the ball from outside the circle, Muscara delivered a ball into the teeth of the defense in front of goal, looking to find a stick of a teammate. Instead, the ball deflected slightly off the stick of a Drew student-athlete into the cage.

This season, Muscara now has eight goals and four assists, leading the team in both categories. She now ranks third in the MAC Freedom in both goals and points.

Inside the Numbers
  • Coming into the contest, Stevens ranked 12th in NCAA Division III with 10.88 penalty corners per game. The Ducks improved that number to 11.22 with 14 corners on the night to now rank eighth in the country.
  • Stevens dominated possession in the game, outshooting Drew 25-1 in the contest and holding a 14-1 edge in shots on goal.
  • Ranger goalkeeper Olyvia Jackson made 10 saves on the night while Franco had the Ducks lone stop.
  • Paulina Georgoutsos and Murnick both made their collegiate debuts in the win.
  • The shutout was the second of the season for Stevens and the second of the six-game win streak along with the 2-0 win over RPI on Sept. 18.
  • Logan led the team with four shots while Froehlich, Muscara and Maris Daly all had three shots apiece.
  • Stevens now leads the MAC Freedom in winning percentage (0.778) and is tied for the league lead in wins with FDU-Florham.
  • The Ducks have now won each of the last six matchups against the Rangers and have outscored Drew 17-0 in the last four meetings.
From the Sidelines (Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz)
  • "Another solid win tonight and it's exciting to see everyone contribute. We have a full slate of games coming up and the ability of this team to keep showing up and working to get better is what makes them special. We know that we need to continue to improve in certain areas to be at our best, but we are taking those steps every day."
Next Up
  • The Ducks will look to win their seventh straight game Wednesday at home when they take on Eastern University at the DeBaun Athletic Complex at 7:00 p.m.
  • The Eagles hold a slight 2-1 edge in the all-time series, but Stevens won the last matchup in 2019 2-1 in St. David's, Pa.
  • Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise
 
Print Friendly Version