The St. Thomas Aquinas Field Hockey team fell to Adelphi University, 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon in their 2019 home opener at Spartan Field.

STAC jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as Lisa Larsson scored her second goal of the season just six and a half minutes into the contest. However, the visiting Panthers were able to tie things up at one goal apiece five minutes later, when Danielle Kempf tallied her second goal of the 2019 campaign. Strong defensive play by both squads kept quality chances at a minimum and the first quarter buzzer sounded with the scoreboard even at 1-1.

In second quarter action, Adelphi University began to pick up the pace of play and register a number of Grade A scoring chances, which ultimately led to a Danielle Powers tally on a pass from Bianca Bachisin three minutes into the new frame, breaking the tie at 2-1. The Spartans also had a number of opportunities to tie up the game before halftime, but Briannah Thorne and Lisa Larsson were stopped by Panther netminder Alexandra Kanapes. Both teams retreated to their benches at the intermission with the visitors holding the one goal advantage. 

The third quarter saw both the Panthers and Spartans tighten things up defensively, as neither side was able to truly gain an advantage. However, Adelphi was able to push their lead to 3-1, when Elissa Frein struck on a pass Kaylee Delva with just seconds remaining in the stanza.

St. Thomas Aquinas put on the full-court offensive pressure in the fourth quarter, trying to rally back from a two-goal deficit, but it was not the Spartans' day. Allie Laird sealed the victory for the Panthers with her first goal of the season on a feed from Elissa Frein, making it a 4-1 decision for the visitors.

STAC goalie Suzanne Clarke (L, 2-2) made 4 stops in thirty minutes of action, before being relieved by teammate Jessie Hohenstein, who made 6 saves in the final two quarters of the contest. Adelphi keeper Alexandra Kanapes (W, 1-0) went the distance and picked up 4 saves.

The Panthers held both a 19-8 shots and 11-7 penalty corners advantage over the Spartans on the afternoon.

St. Thomas Aquinas College (2-2) returns to action on Thursday, September 19th, as the Spartans take on the Manhattanville College Valiants. Start time is scheduled for 7pm.