WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (Oct. 9, 2021) – For the first time since 2009, the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team shutout an opponent for the third consecutive game as they took down Wilkes University 6-0 Saturday, scoring all six goals in the first half.

The Ducks have now won eight straight games this season which ranks as the second-longest win streak in program history only behind a nine-game win streak to open the 2008 season as they improve to 9-2 overall this year and 3-0 in MAC Freedom competition.

Senior Aryana Muscara, who has been the leading point-scorer for Stevens all season, had another strong performance in the win with two more goals and an assist. She is now tied for the league lead with 10 goals this season while also sitting in a tie for third in points with 25.

The Ducks also got goals from senior Kila Eadie, junior Lynda Farinella and first-years Lauren Jones and Emily Smart in the win.

Stevens took advantage of 17 penalty corners in the match, scoring five of their six goals on set pieces.

During this eight-game win streak, Stevens is outscoring opponents 28-8, has four shutouts and has scored at least three goals in seven of the eight contests.

The scoring started for the Ducks in the 12th minute of game action when Stevens delivered on its first penalty corner opportunity. Muscara inserted the ball to Eadie at the top of the circle to start the play and Eadie wasted no time as she blasted a shot past the goalie into the cage for her fifth goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, Stevens again capitalized off a penalty corner to make the score 2-0. After the ball was played in front of the net, senior Brynn Froehlich was able to gain control of the ball and fire a pass to the back post where Jones was standing to tip it in.

Jones now has scored two goals in as many games for the Ducks and sits in a tie for fourth on the team with three tallies this season.

With just :21 seconds left in the opening quarter, Stevens got on the board again this time on a broken play. With a scrum in front of the net, Eadie was the first Duck to get a chance at goal with a shot that was blocked right to the feet of Farinella. The junior from South Plainfield, N.J., calmly collected the rebound and punched a shot into the back of the cage to put Stevens up 3-0.

Farinella now has at least one point in each of her last five games with three goals and two assists.

The Ducks tallied another at the beginning of the second period on another penalty corner opportunity. Muscara passed the ball into the circle to Eadie who quickly got it over to Allison Buffenbarger. The fifth-year from Leesburg, Va., then found Muscara who buried a shot into the bottom left of goal for her first score of the contest.

Halfway through the quarter, Stevens got on the board once again directly off a set piece when Froehlich found Smart who lifted a shot over the goalkeeper from 10 yards out for the fifth goal of the game.

It was Smart's first goal since scoring four in her first four collegiate contests as she is now tied with Eadie for the second most goals on the team (5).

Froehlich, meanwhile, got her second assist of the day and her fifth of the season. She has accounted for six points in her last four games and is tied for the team lead in assists on the year.

Muscara capped off the first half and her impressive performance with a bang in the 29th minute on a give-and-go opportunity. After her initial shot was saved by Wilkes' Alexis Nevel, Muscara collected her own miss and did not make the same mistake twice, beating the keeper for her 10th goal of the year to make the score 6-0 before the break.

With 10 goals this season, Muscara is the first student-athlete to register double-digit goals in a season since Skylar Migliaccio had 12 in 2018. Additionally, her 25 points just 11 games in would have been the most on the team in 2019.

In goal, the combination of senior Emily Franco and sophomore Amanda Murnick saw just one shot on goal (six total) in the game with Murnick being credited for her first collegiate save.

Inside the Numbers

• With 17 more corners on the day, Stevens is now averaging 11.54 penalty corners per game to rank sixth in all of NCAA Division III.
• Conversely, Wilkes had just two penalty corners in the match.
• Stevens held a 30-6 edge in total shots and a 19-1 advantage in shots on goal.
• Reigning MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week Alyssa Appleby led the Ducks with five total shots on the night while Natalie Logan had the most shots on goal with four.
• The six goals in a game are a new season-high for the Ducks who are now second in the league with 3.18 goals per game.
• The Ducks now lead the MAC Freedom in both total goals allowed (16) and goals allowed per game (1.45).
• Stevens is now one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in conference play this season (Misericordia).
• The six-goal victory is the largest for the Ducks since defeating Cabrini 7-1 on Oct. 2, 2019.
• Franco has now not allowed a score in goal in her last 130 minutes of game action.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz)

• "Today was a great win! We have had so many games recently and the way the team continues to show up a compete is inspiring. We were firing shots just like we have worked on and so many people contributed to the win and the shutout today. Looking forward to wrapping up this slew of games on Monday and then taking a breath before we head into the bulk of conference play."

Up Next

• The Ducks will look to set a new program record with their ninth straight win Monday when they take on William Patterson at 7:00 p.m. at the DeBaun Athletic Complex in a game that was originally scheduled to be the season opener.
• Stevens has won each of the last 10 meetings between the two programs dating back to the 2010 season including a 3-2 win over the Pioneers on Sept. 4, 2019, the last time the two teams played.
• Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.

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