Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Field Hockey team continued its Northeast-10 Conference playoff push on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire University at Spartan Field in Sparkill.

STAC improves to 6-9 overall and 5-6 in NE10 play, while SNHU drops to 3-11, 3-8 NE10.

How it Happened

The Spartans would kick off the first quarter by tallying a goal just over five minutes into the match, as Hailey Galison would receive a pass from teammate Sofia Corominas Cuen and chip a high shot over the shoulder of Penmen keeper Kate Pigsley to make it 1-0.

No further scoring would take place in the opening stanza, with STAC posting a 4-0 shots advantage.

Both teams would play a close second quarter, with the Spartans taking two shots to the Penmen's one. However, the sides would fail to capitalize on their opportunities in the frame and the contest would remain a slim one-goal lead for St. Thomas Aquinas going into halftime.

Coming out of the break, STAC would strike quickly for their second goal of the afternoon with Brittany Lionarons sending a shot to the net, where Sofia Corominas Cuen would corral the ball and make a cross-crease pass to Sam Van Der Valk for an easy tap in past Kate Pigsley. However, Southern New Hampshire would cut the deficit in half just over five minutes later, as off of a penalty corner Annemartine Christis would fire a shot toward the cage, with Taylor Marchman tipping it past Spartan keeper Jessie Hohenstein to make it a 2-1 game.

The teams would move to the fourth quarter with St. Thomas Aquinas once again holding a one-goal advantage. Both squads would have their chances to score, as the Spartans would register four shots and receive two penalty corners, while the Penmen posted two shots and also earned two corners.

STAC would get the insurance goal that sealed the match in the final minute of play, as Hailey Galison would take a penalty corner and then quickly move to the crease, where she would find the ball off of a scramble for possession and slide it to Nicola Van Vuuren, who would slide it past Kate Pigsley to make it 3-1 and give her team a key conference victory.

Inside the Box Score

• The Spartans have scored 15 goals through eight games in the month of October.
• Nicola Van Vuuren and Lauren Cooper are now tied for the team lead in goals, with five each.
• St. Thomas Aquinas outshot Southern New Hampshire 13 to 4 on the afternoon.
• Hailey Galison recorded a goal and an assist in the match.
• Sam Van Der Valk tallied the first goal of her collegiate career in the contest.
• Sofia Corominas Cuen picked up assists on the Galison and Van Der Valk goals.
• Jessie Hohenstein (W, 6-9) stopped one of two shots faced.

Up Next

St. Thomas Aquinas visits Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday, October 26 with the match set to get underway at 3pm in Rindge, New Hampshire.