WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Three goal in the first 10 minutes put the game out of reach as the New Haven field hockey team improved to 5-0 in the Northeast-10 with a 7-1 victory over the visiting Molloy Lions. The seven goals for the Chargers is a new program record for goals in a game through the four-year history of the program.
Leading the Chargers offensively on the night was senior Sophie Schreck (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) who didn't just score her first goal for the Blue and Gold, but recorded her first, and the Chargers first, hat trick in program history. Overall, the seven goals came from four different players with freshman Abby Nixon (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) also netting her first collegiate goal. In addition to the goal, Nixon also assisted on the first goal fo the game, the game-winning tally which came off the stick of senior Reilly Bialko (Shickshinny, Pa./Northwest Area). Joining in on the scoring action was senior Taylor Geaglone (Enfield, Conn./Enfield) and sophomore Audrey Larson (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy) who each scored their second goal of the season.
Bialko would get credit for the game-winning goal which she scored just before the third minute of the game as she finished off an initial attempt by Abby Nixon (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) that deflected off of a Molloy defender and found the stick of Bialko on the opposite post.
Schreck added to the lead just three minutes later when she deflected home an insertion attempt from Geaglone from the top of the arc off of a corner insertion by Bialko. The initial flurry of goals continued 90 seconds later when Schreck struck again thanks to an assist from Zharria John (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway).
New Haven wouldn't add to its tally again until after the halftime break when they again went on a quick attack adding three more goals in the first eight minutes, all of which came just over three minutes apart. The first in the stretch came off the stick of Nixon with Geaglone and Bialko repeating their early penalty corner score in the beginning of the 36th minute. Bialko would also provide the assist on Nixon's goal with the helper to Geaglone her third of the night.
The final goal in that early second half stretch came from Larson with freshman Sarah Pratt (Johnstown, N.Y/Johnstown) earning the assist for the first point of her collegiate career. Schreck then deflected in an original shot from Julia Battino (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) in the 48th minute to give New Haven its seventh goal of the night. That final tally from Schreck also came off an insertion with Paige Garrett (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) getting things underway that time around.
Molloy would break up the Chargers shutout with 100 seconds remaining in the game when Kyra Dalli scored off a penalty corner. Graduate goalkeeper Keira Integlia (Branford, Conn./Branford) was charged with making just two saves on the night as the Lions mustered just five total shots, compared to 28 for the Blue and Gold.
New Haven will spend its next two games away from its West Haven home with the first in that stretch a visit to Assumption on Sunday, October 3 for a conference match-up with the Greyhounds. All of the action will be available on NE10 NOW with the game scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. at Assumption's Multi-Sport Stadium.
