WEST HAVEN, Conn. (September 2, 2017) – Sophomore forward Emma McGonagle (Rowley, Mass.) scored twice -- her first career multiple-goal game -- on Saturday afternoon, to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team in a 5-0 win at New Haven. The non-conference contest at DellaCamera Stadium marked the first-ever field hockey contest in school history for the Chargers, who will officially join the Northeast-10 Conference in the sport next season.

With the win, the Ravens open the season at 1-0 and have won their opener for the seventh straight season. With the loss, New Haven opens the inaugural season in program history at 0-1.

The lone goal of the first half came off a corner in the 22^nd minute, and was the first collegiate goal for freshman back Nicole McDowell (Yarmouth, Maine). Senior forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.) injected the ball to start things off and senior back Lauren Grimard (Turners Falls, Mass.) ultimately served the ball towards the goal from beyond the top of the circle. UNH freshman goalkeeper Natalie Shaker made the initial stop on the play, leading to a skirmish out front. McDowell found the ball first and put it to the back of the cage for her first career score.

Though the Ravens outshot New Haven 16-0, and piled up 11 penalty corners in the first half, the goals did not come with more regularity until after the halftime break. Franklin Pierce added four goals in the second stanza to create the 5-0 final.

On a corner in the 38^th minute, Canavan sent the ball to the top of the circle, for junior back Sarah Bjorn (Holden, Mass.), who stopped it and touched it to junior midfielder Raegan Moulton (Baldwinville, Mass.). Moulton, who missed all of 2016 with an injury, got back in the goal column for the first time since 2015, as she took a long shot which slipped cleanly through traffic and beat Shaker to make it 2-0.

In the 53^rd minute, junior forward Dayna Kowesky (Leominster, Mass.) forced a turnover and led an odd-man rush into the circle. She dished the ball to the middle of the field for Canavan, who rifled a shot inside the left post from 10 yards out.

McGonagle put home her first goal of the afternoon in the 59th minute. She was at the left post and was able to re-direct home a ball which had already been deflected by Canavan, who notched her second assist of the game on the play. Canavan finished with four points on a goal and two assists, which pushed her career total to 62 points. She sits just 11 behind Tia Levins '12 for the program's all-time record.

The Ravens capped the scoring in the 61^st minute. It was McGonagle for a second time, as she once again provided the finish at the left post to create the 5-0 final.

Senior goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) (1-0) did not need to make a save to post the shutout in the season opener. It marked the eighth shutout of her career, leaving her one behind Brittany Nyzio '12 for the school's all-time record. At the other end of the field, Shaker finished with 13 saves against 18 shots on her cage, but suffered the loss (0-1) in goal for New Haven. Franklin Pierce finished the game with advantages of 32-0 in shot attempts, 18-0 in shots on goal and 18-0 in penalty corners. 

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, Sept. 3, when they travel to Molloy for a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Bay Park in East Rockaway, N.Y.

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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).