The St. Mary’s College of Maryland field hockey team opened United East Conference play with a 9-1 rout of Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Pennsylvania. Gwynedd Mercy is the league’s newest member.
The Seahawks (4-5, 1-0 UEC) got goals from seven players. Sophomore Josie Mascolo of Leonardtown, a St. Mary’s Ryken graduate, and junior Olivia Schwendeman scored twice each. The Griffins fell to 0-10, 0-1 UEC.
After a scoreless first quarter, St. Mary’s broke through with three goals in the second. Sophomore forward Morgan Knott opened the scoring at 17:27 with her first goal of the season. Mascolo made it 2-0 at 22:10. Senior defender Abi Wise scored her first collegiate goal at 29:25 to send the Seahawks to halftime up 3-0.
Gwynedd Mercy got on the board 5:42 into the third quarter, when Molly Botthof scored off a Gianna Radcliffe assist. St. Mary’s answered right away. Senior Emma Mastrangelo scored off a feed from Shelby Wurzburger to make it 4-1. Mascolo added her second goal at 44:36 for a 5-1 lead.
The Seahawks then pulled away with four goals in the fourth quarter. Schwendeman scored at 50:09 and again at 54:29, her second career multi-goal game. Sophomore defender Bella Marson scored her first collegiate goal off a Julie Presgraves assist at 55:58. Senior defender Safi Stimely closed the scoring at 57:35 with her first goal of the season.
St. Mary’s dominated the stat sheet. The Seahawks outshot Gwynedd Mercy 25-2, put 16 shots on goal and earned 20 penalty corners to the Griffins’ four. Junior goalkeeper Sophia Kent made one save in 45 minutes. Senior captain Caroline McDonald played the third quarter. Griffins keeper Kelly Weaver made seven saves.
It was Mascolo’s first two-goal game. She and Kent swept the United East’s weekly field hockey awards last week after the Seahawks forced overtime against Salisbury for the first time in program history.
St. Mary’s visits Penn State Harrisburg (5-5, 1-0 UEC) at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Seahawks return home to host Meredith (3-5) at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Jamie L. Roberts Stadium.
