Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. – Freshman Nicola Van Vuuren scored twice, including the game-winning goal in overtime, for the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Field Hockey team (2-7, 1-4 NE10) to take a 2-1 win at Mercy College (2-7, 1-5 NE10) on Wednesday afternoon in Dobbs Ferry.

Just over four and a half minutes into extra time Nicola Van Vuuren would get a one-on-one scoring opportunity against Mavericks goalie Lauren Viscione, and Van Vuuren would bury her chance into the back of the cage to give STAC the 2-1 triumph and snap the team's three-game winless streak.

Spartans goalkeeper Jessie Hohenstein made four saves to pick up her second victory of the season.

In a scoreless first quarter, the teams tallied two shots apiece, with Viscione and Hohenstein making a save each to keep the game square at zero.

Van Vuuren broke the scoreless tie late in the second quarter (27th minute), to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors. The lead would hold true for STAC as the teams would break for halftime.

The third quarter saw Mercy's Nicole Cotton even the score at 1-1 in the 35th minute, when Ally Schreck sent a cross from the right side and Cotton fired the ball into the cage to tie the game.

St. Thomas Aquinas would have the better of the opportunities in the fourth quarter, as the Spartans would tally five shots and take six penalty corners in the final period of regulation. However, Lauren Viscione and the Mavericks defense would turn away the visitors and force overtime.

Inside the Boxscore

• Freshman Nicola Van Vuuren recorded the first two-goal game of her collegiate career.
• Jessie Hohenstein (W, 2-7) stopped four of five shots faced in the match.
• STAC held both the shots advantage (16-8) and the Penalty Corners mark (14-6) on the afternoon.

Up Next

St. Thomas Aquinas hosts American International College on Saturday, October 9 at 12pm.