The St. Thomas Aquinas College Field Hockey team picked up their second consecutive road victory, as the Spartans defeated Keystone College, 4-1 on Saturday morning in Pennsylvania.

Keystone jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as Taylor Cercone scored on a Savanna Robinson pass just 2:31 into the first quarter. The Cercone tally was lone goal of the quarter for either team, and it was also the only Giants ball to get past Spartan keeper Suzanne Clarke for the rest of the game.

In second quarter action, STAC was able to tie things up at one goal apiece on the strength of a Meghan McCarren unassisted strike at 3:09 of the second. Despite the increased offensive pressure by the visiting Spartans, the score remained tied at 1-1, as teams headed to their respective sidelines for the intermission.

After the break, St. Thomas Aquinas continued to put the pressure on the Giants defense, and Lauren Cooper was finally able to break the stalemate on a pass from Meghan McCarren at 7:17 of the third quarter to give STAC at 2-1 lead. Keystone tried to mount a late rally to close the quarter, but were once again unable to solve Spartan keeper Clarke.

The fourth quarter saw the Spartans increase their lead on the strength of unassisted goals by Lotte Strijbos and Briannah Thorne, which put STAC up 4-1 and gave the visitors in maroon and gold the victory.

STAC goalie Suzanne Clarke (W, 2-0) made 5 stops on the day, while Megan Novak (L, 1-3) picked up 10 saves for Keystone.

St. Thomas Aquinas held a 24-8 shots and a 6-4 penalty corners advantage over the Giants for the contest.

The Spartans (2-0) continue their 3-game road trip, as they open their Northeast-10 schedule next Saturday, September 14th at Bentley College. Game time is set for 1pm in Waltham, Massachusetts.