Kelly nets first goal of season

RINDGE, N.H. (October 27, 2015) – Trailing 2-0 early in the second half, the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team got goals in the second stanza from sophomore forward Erin Smith (Templeton, Mass.) and junior midfielder Kenady Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Ravens, No. 8 nationally ranked Saint Anselm was able to slip an insurance marker between the two scores to short-circuit the rally, as the Hawks left with a 3-2 victory in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-8 (4-7 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm improves to 14-3 (8-3 Northeast-10).

Saint Anselm wasted no time getting the scoring started, as it struck for a 1-0 lead in just the third minute. Senior forward Meagan Halligan was able to capitalize on a rebound and jam it in at the right post for her seventh goal of the season.

It was a similar situation in the second stanza, as the Hawks struck just 82 seconds into the second half to double the lead to 2-0. A designed corner play worked the ball to the top of the circle on the left side, then across to senior midfielder Taylor Coons at the right post. Coons' initial shot was turned aside by sophomore goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.), but Coons then cleaned up her own rebound for her fourth goal of the campaign.

The Ravens started ideas of a comeback with a penalty-corner goal of their own in the 45th minute, to cut the deficit to 2-1. The insertion on the corner came to senior midfielder Natalia Bachelder (South Berwick, Maine) just to the right of the top of the circle, and she began to move right with the ball. As she drew the defender, Bachelder sent a pass back to her left, to the top of the circle for Smith. Smith let her shot fly from there and it cleanly found the back of the cage for her fourth goal of the season.

Saint Anselm got what turned into a very important insurance marker in the 56th minute. Amid a scramble for a loose ball on a rebound, sophomore forward Emma Kincaid was the first to get her stick to the ball and put the ball home at the left post for her team-leading 11th goal of the season.

The goal stood tall for the Hawks, because Franklin Pierce would strike once more, in the 67th minute, to cut the gap back to 3-2. With the ball on the left side of the circle, Kelly sent what appeared to be a service towards the goalmouth area. While en route, the ball deflected off the stick of a Saint Anselm defender, over the shoulder of junior goalkeeper Katherine Sears and into the top-right corner of the net for Kelly's first goal of the season.

After the Kelly goal, Franklin Pierce later pulled Williams in favor of the extra attacker for the final 1:09, but was unable to find the equalizer.

Williams (8-7) made five saves against eight shots on goal in the loss for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the field, Sears (14-3) finished with six saves against eight shots on goal for Saint Anselm.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, Oct. 30, when they close out the season by hosting LIU Post in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).