WAYNE, N.J. (September 1, 2022)  – Senior Lynda Farinella knocked home a loose ball in the 55th minute to send the Field Hockey team to a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over William Paterson University Thursday in a non-conference matchup at Wightman Stadium.

First-year Gabi Moroney and sophomore Emily Smart also found the back of the net for the Ducks, who defeated the Pioneers for the 12th straight time to open the season 1-0. Stevens has been victorious in three of its last four season openers. 

Megan Hoopes and Abigail Viola each scored for William Paterson, who dropped to 0-1. The Pioneers have lost eight straight season openers.

First-year Lily Wierzbicki drew the start and made five saves in her collegiate debut to earn the victory. The Davis, California-native turned aside Hoopes' try in the final minute to preserve the victory. Kourtney Hartzel had two saves for William Paterson.

With the teams knotted at two, sophomore Makenna Quigley directed a shot towards the goal. Hartzel turned the shot away and Farinella, who assisted on the game-tying goal 10 minutes earlier, pounced on the loose ball and directed into the back of the net to put the Ducks in front for good.

The Ducks broke through in the 17th minute. Moroney, who was making her collegiate debut, redirected a shot from junior Dani Hessels for the Ducks' first goal of the season. Hessels, was credited with her first career assist on the play.

Farinella's heroics were needed because the Pioneers scored a single goal in both the second and third periods to jump in front. Hoopes scored William Paterson's first goal of the season in the 27th minute, knocking a loose ball past Wierzbicki to tie the game at one. Viola provided the home team with its first lead of the game late in the third, redirecting her own rebound into the back of the net to give the Pioneers a 2-1 advantage.

Smart, who scored twice in her collegiate debut one season ago, again got on the board in the season opener. The second-year player converted a Farinella pass in the 46th minute to set the stage for the eventual game-winner.

The victory marked the Ducks' seventh in their last 10 one-goal contests.

Unsung Heroes

• The Ducks' young defensive group came up key in the final 90 seconds, thwarting four penalty corners. 

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens held a 5-1 shot advantage in the final quarter and finished the contest with an 8-7 margin.
• Farinella finished with a goal and an assist in a game for the second time in her career.
• The Ducks, who ranked among the nation's leaders in penalty corners in 2021, finished with 10, while William Paterson had seven.
• Neither side had a defensive save.
• The contest marked the collegiate debut for Moroney, Wierzbicki, sophomore Sarah Korczukowski and first-years Emilia Lopes, Taylor Knox and Maggie Neumann.
• Senior Emily Hyde returned to the field for countable collegiate competition for the first time since Oct. 30, 2019.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz

• "It's always great to open the season with a win and I'm pleased with how we responded to adversity today. Coming back after giving up goals is a goal of this team and holding strong on defensive corners was critical to secure the win. We had a lot of players step up and we also learned a lot about ourselves."
• "In these early stages, it is so critical to take things away from every game and I give a ton of credit to a fast and intense William Paterson team, who really showed us some areas to work on."

Up Next

• Field Hockey heads to upstate New York on Sept. 3 for the two-day Betty Richey Tournament, hosted by No. 19 Vassar.
• This will mark Stevens' third trip to the annual event.
• The Ducks will take on the hosting Brewers in the opening round and will take on either Endicott or Marywood Sunday.
• Links for live stats and video for both contests are available on StevensDucks.com.

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