Wilkes-Barre, Pa. – Seven different players found the back of the cage as the No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team rolled past King's College 7-0 in their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom opener on Saturday afternoon.
The Ducks (6-4, 1-0 MAC Freedom) scored three times in the opening quarter and never looked back, outshooting King's 32-1, including a 24-0 advantage in shots on goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens wasted little time getting on the board, as
Jenna Piantieri opened the scoring just 1:20 into the contest. The Ducks continued to apply pressure and doubled their advantage at the 4:31 mark when
Sophia Cozza found the back of the cage for her fourth goal of the season.
Ava Pelletier made it 3-0 less than five minutes later, finishing off a feed from
Brooke Hughes at 9:18. Stevens controlled the opening quarter with an 11-0 advantage in shots and three penalty corners.
The Ducks continued to control the game in the second quarter, generating nine shots while holding King's without an attempt.
Taylor Brooks provided the lone goal of the period, scoring at 20:51 to extend the Stevens advantage to 4-0. Stevens entered the halftime break with a 20-0 edge in shots while attempting all six penalty corners.
Stevens added two more goals in the third quarter.
Jess Kopernick pushed the lead to 5-0 at the 32:42 mark, converting a feed from Piantieri for her fifth goal of the season.
Lauren Flynn followed at 41:16, finding the back of the cage for her third goal of the year to give the Ducks a six-goal advantage heading into the final quarter. King's recorded its only shot of the contest late in the period, but the attempt was blocked as Stevens maintained the shutout.
Clifford capped the scoring in the fourth quarter. After having a pair of attempts stopped earlier in the period, Clifford broke through at 53:43 for her second goal of the season to establish the final 7-0 margin. Stevens did not allow a shot over the final 15 minutes to complete the shutout.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Piantieri finished with a goal and an assist, while Hughes also recorded an assist.
- Clifford led Stevens with seven shots, putting six on goal, while Cozza and Kopernick each registered four attempts.
- Stevens used four goalkeepers in the shutout, with Natalie Ward, Julianna O'Sheal, Maria Dante and Maggie Hilden each seeing action.
UP NEXT
Stevens returns to action on Wednesday, hosting DeSales University at 6:00 pm at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.
