Box Score

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England field hockey team got all the offense it would need in the opening 15:29 of play as four goals found the back of the cage, en route to a 4-1 victory over Western New England University in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at the Big Blue Turf.

Big Blue improves to 15-1 on the year, and 7-1 in league contests, while the Golden Bears drop to 4-13 overall (2-5 CCC). The Nor'easters have now defeated WNE in all six meetings between the teams.

UNE honored its two seniors prior to the game, and the co-captains wasted little time getting the hosts rolling. Senior Michelle Oswald (Jay, Maine) set up the first score just 1:33 in, collecting a rebound off her own shot and touching it to sophomore Hannah Tavella (Putnam Valley, N.Y.), who flipped it in through a crowd in front.

The Nor'easters went up 2-0 in the 5th minute, as senior Bree Tupper (Winthrop, Maine) moved right up the middle of the field on a break and drove a hard shot from 14 yards out into the right side. With the score -- the 37th of her career -- Tupper moves into sole possession of second place on the all-time goals list.

Tavella notched her second of the day in the 15th minute, taking a restart some 20 yards through defenders and slipping a shot into the left side.

Junior Emily Koehler (Pelham, N.H) made the lead four (4-0) after another 1:19, converting on a penalty corner play with assists from Oswald and sophomore Hayley LaPointe (Topsham, Maine).

Oswald's second helper of the afternoon was the 22nd of her career, moving her into a tie at the top of the all-time assists category with Taryn Flagg '10. The two points also increased her career total to 94, past Michaela Franey '11 and into second place all-time.

Western New England broke up the shutout at the 18:35 mark on its first shot attempt of the match courtesy of junior Shelby Van Huysen (Killingworth, Conn.), blasting a hard shot from 12 yards out on the right side just inside the far post. Classmate Lindsay Lalonde (East Middlebury, Vt.) assisted on the play, which began on a penalty corner.

The two squads went the remaining 51-plus minutes without any scoring, while the Nor'easters built advantages in shots (25-8) and penalty corners (13-6).

First-year Kaitlyn Warren (Boscawen, N.H.) denied three shots to get the win for UNE, which visits Nichols College on Tuesday (7 p.m.).

For the Golden Bears, who host Endicott College the same day (7 p.m.), first-year Emily Mastropaolo (Cazenovia, N.Y.) made nine saves in 54 minutes of relief for junior starter Kaitlyn Hall (Pawtucket, R.I.).