Field Hockey Opens 2018 Campaign with 6-2 Win over Johnson & Wales

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Senior midfielder Samantha Hayes (Norwood, Mass.) and sophomore forward Emma Daly (Foxborough, Mass.) tallied two goals apiece, and senior forward Julianne Kilduff (Bellingham, Mass.) added a goal and an assist to lead the Bridgewater State University field hockey team to a season-opening 6-2 win over host Johnson & Wales University on Monday afternoon.

Kilduff opened the scoring with a shot between the keeper's pads from five yards out in the 24th minute. Freshman forward Jillian Miele (Wilmington, Mass.) found the back of the net off a rebound to even the score at 1-1 a little over two minutes later.

Daly converted a crossing pass from Kilduff in the 32nd minute to give the Bears a lead they would not relinquish. Daly made it a 3-1 game four minutes into the second half with freshman forward Victoria Camara (Westport, Mass.) recording her first collegiate assist on a thru-ball pass.

An unassisted tally by sophomore forward Rachel DeVore (Beltsville, Md.) at the 9:05 mark of the second half cut the Wildcats' deficit to one, but Hayes answered just 16 seconds later to regain the Bears' two-goal cushion.

A pair of unassisted goals by senior forward Alexandra Zoebisch (Plymouth, Mass.) and Hayes in the 47th and 60th minutes, respectively, put the finishing touches on the win for Bridgewater State.

The Bears finished with a 27-21 shot advantage, while the Wildcats held a 9-7 edge in penalty corners.

Senior netminder Allison Chappell (Raynham, Mass.) made ten saves to pick up the win between the pipes for Bridgewater State. The Bears also received a pair of defensive saves from grad midfielder Katherine McKenna (Wilmington, Mass.).

Senior goalkeeper Claire Nolan (West Bridgewater, Mass.) turned aside 12 saves in the setback while sophomore Grace Pendergast (Berlin, Mass.) stopped three shots in relief.

In upcoming action, the Bears (1-0) open Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday, September 8th when they travel to Plymouth State University to take on the Panthers at noon. The Wildcats are off until Thursday, September 13th when they travel to Westfield State University for a seven o'clock game with the Owls.

Notes: With her two goals, Hayes increased her career total to 26 as she moved into ninth place on the Bears' all-time goal scoring list. Hayes passed Ashley Panzini who scored 25 goals from 2004 to 2007.