WEST HAVEN, Conn. — New Haven Field Hockey (3-11, 2-4) defeated Merrimack (1-12, 1-5) 2-1 at home Friday, scoring once in the second quarter and once in the third while
Cara Lambert (Sutton, Mass./Sutton Memorial) made 10 saves. New Haven was outshot 17-6 but held Merrimack scoreless through three quarters.
Jordan Gagliastro (Worcester, Mass./Doherty Memorial) scored the game-winning goal at 23:33 and finished with one goal and two shots on goal.
Emma Beaujouan (Concord, N.H./Concord) added one goal and one shot on goal,
Lauren Schoonmaker (High Falls, N.Y.) had one assist and one shot on goal,
Abbie Volfman (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) had one assist and
Taylor Amstutz (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) added one assist. Lambert played all 60 minutes in net and allowed one goal.
The Chargers generated the first recorded chance of the first quarter when Gagliastro put a shot on goal at 1:38, but Audra Szymborski made the save. Merrimack answered with pressure later in the quarter, including a blocked shot by Gianna Cioni at 6:14 and a penalty corner three seconds later, while
Jalia Cooper (Millville, N.J./Saint Joseph Academy) had an attempt blocked at 9:34.
Merrimack pushed again in the final two minutes, but
Kristen MacAuley (York, Maine/York) made a defensive save on Erin Cottam's shot. Lambert then stopped Jade Shabo's attempt at 14:41 and the quarter ended 0-0.
In the second quarter, Schoonmaker produced the Chargers' first recorded chance at 17:35, when her shot was saved by Szymborski. New Haven broke through on a penalty corner at 23:33, with Gagliastro scoring off assists from Schoonmaker and Volfman for a 1-0 lead.
Merrimack put two shots on goal later in the quarter, including one after a penalty corner at 27:20, but Lambert saved both attempts. The Chargers took the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
The Blue & Gold handled Merrimack's early pressure in the third quarter, with Gracie Lloyd's shot blocked at 34:38 and Merrimack earning a penalty corner at 36:34. After the Chargers drew a penalty corner at 40:59, Beaujouan scored at 41:07 off Amstutz's assist to make it 2-0.
Lloyd received a green card at 44:31, but Merrimack still produced the final shot of the quarter. Lambert saved Alisia Hamm's attempt at 45:00 to keep New Haven in front 2-0 through three quarters.
Merrimack pressed immediately in the fourth quarter, forcing Lambert saves on Delaney Weiler and Kaitlyn Welsh around an Emily Beichert penalty corner. Merrimack added a blocked shot and two more Lambert saves before Weiler scored at 48:03 to cut New Haven's lead to 2-1.
The Chargers' only shot of the quarter came from Cooper, whose attempt went wide at 51:31. Weiler received a green card at 53:04 and Megan Dwyer received one at 53:50 as play moved through the middle of the quarter.
After
Allie Brown (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) received a green card at 59:08, Merrimack earned a penalty corner at 59:15. Lambert saved shots by Weiler and Cioni before another corner at 59:40, and the Blue & Gold closed out the 2-1 win.
New Haven will travel to Erie, Pa., to face Mercyhurst University on Sunday, Oct. 18, at noon.
