POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (Sept. 5, 2021) – Led by a goal and an assist from both first-year Emily Smart and senior Aryana Muscara, the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team sat tied 3-3 with No. 18 Vassar College late in the third quarter Sunday but could not hold on, falling 5-3 on the road in the Betty Richey Invitational.

Both Smart and Muscara earned all-tournament team honors for their efforts throughout the tournament along with senior Kila Eadie as the Ducks dropped to 1-1 on the young 2021 campaign.

After falling behind 2-0 and 3-1, Stevens fought back twice to tie things up before the Brewers finally put the game away with goals in the 43rd and 48th minutes to seal the win.

With another goal in Sunday's contest, Smart becomes the first student-athlete in program history to score three goals in the first two games of her collegiate career since three-time All-Empire 8 Conference selection Dailyn Brook accomplished the feat in 2012. In fact, Smart and Brook are the lone two student-athletes in the history of the program to tally at least three goals in their first two career contests.

Vassar started the scoring early as they got on the board with two quick goals before the seven-minute mark of the contest.

In the third minute, Carina D'Souza fired a pass off a corner into the circle that found the stick of Ella Pearl who buried it to put the Brewers on top.

Then, just four minutes later, Vassar scored once again when a Leilana Llamas pass was redirected in front of the next and finished by Avery Bauman.

The Ducks made sure not to go away quietly, however, as Natalie Logan got Stevens on the scoreboard when she took a cross-field pass from Smart and shot it into the left corner of the cage to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 nearly 10 minutes into the first quarter.

The score remained the same until the 18th minute when the combination of D'Souza and Pearl worked for the Brewers once again in the second put the lead back at two.

Trailing 3-1 coming out of the break, Stevens made a couple of halftime adjustments to climb back into the contest in the third quarter.

The first opportunity came in the 38th minute when Muscara redirected a ball in front of the cage directly to Smart's feet. The first-year out of Haddonfield, N.J., wasted no time and fired a shot past the goalkeeper into the back of the cage.

Exactly two minutes later it was Muscara on the scoring end of a goal, this time coming on a corner. First-year Lauren Jones received the initial pass on the set piece and laced a ball in front of the net for Muscara to redirect into the cage for her first career goal that tied things up at 3-3.

The Brewers, who have been ranked in the top-20 of the NFHCA poll every week dating back to the 2018 season, answered with the game-winner in the 43rd minute thanks to a Sophie McGrath goal off an assist from Hailey Bragger.

With the game still very much undecided in the fourth quarter, Vassar used the same combination they had used two times previously, this time in reverse as D'Souza tipped in a pass by Pearl to push the lead to 5-3 and ultimately out of reach for the Ducks.

Inside the Numbers

• Senior Emily Franco made eight saves in the cage for Stevens compared to just two saves by Vassar goalkeeper Sarah Dumaresq.
• In total, 15 of the 24 total points in the contest came from four student-athletes (Smart, Muscara, D'Souza and Pearl).
• Vassar held an 18-11 shot advantage as well as a 13-6 edge in shots on goal.
• The Ducks were effective with their opportunities when they got them with half (three of six) of their shots on goal resulting in scores.
• Stevens was also effective in forcing set pieces in the contest with 12 corners compared to 11 for the Brewers.
• Smart is not the only first-year making an impact on the young season. Jones now has a goal and an assist in her first two career appearances while Makenna Quigley has earned a pair of starts as well.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz)

• "Today was an incredibly hard-fought battle. I don't think the score is indicative of the grit and resiliency that this team is beginning to show. Credit to a fast Vassar team for putting together a full 50 minutes, but the future is bright for our group. We have a big week coming up and we will continue to get better every day."

Up Next

• The big week Spencer-Blaetz is referring to starts with a contest on Wednesday night at home against Montclair State at 7:00 p.m.
• The Red Hawks have won 11 of the 12 meetings between the two programs including each of the last 10 matchups dating back to 2010.
• In the last contest in 2019, Stevens nearly pulled the upset on the road as the Ducks fell 2-1 in double overtime against a Montclair State team that was ranked No. 10 in the country.
• Live stats and video will be available and the first 50 fans who attend the contest will receive a free Stevens Ducks bobblehead.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise