Field hockey team blanks Babson in opening game, 1-0
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Allison Marshall ’07 netted the game’s only goal. |
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Stephanie Nihon-Kufta ’07 made a crucial defensive save to preserve the win. |
BABSON PARK, Mass. — Senior Allison Marshall (Princeton, N.J.) scored the game’s only goal on a penalty corner with 31:20 left in the first half as the visiting Bates College Bobcats defeated the Babson College Beavers, 1-0, in a non-conference field hockey tilt on Saturday afternoon. The shutout for Babson (2-2) was the first since November 13, 2004, ending a streak of 28 contests with a goal.
Bates controlled play throughout the first half, amassing 14 shots to Babson’s five. The Bobcats finally broke through just under 14 minutes into the contest, when Marshall hit a drive off a penalty corner that deflected off a defender’s stick and into the cage to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Junior Erin Chandler (Thornton, Pa.) and senior Liz Greenwood (Williamstown, Mass.) both picked up assists on the play.
In an evenly played second half, Babson managed to put three shots on goal. However, senior goalie Sarah Sprague (Cleveland, Ohio) turned away two of them and senior back Stephanie Nihon-Kufta (Nassau, Bahamas) made a key defensive save on the third to keep the Beavers off the board and preserve the 1-0 victory.
Sprague finished with two stops in net for Bates, while junior Soraya Gallegos (Houston, Texas) finished a magnificent effort with 10 saves in goal for Babson. Senior co-captain Heather Dunbar (Hubbardston, Mass.) also came up big for the Beavers, making a huge defensive save early in the second half to keep her team in the game.
The Bobcats will host the University of Southern Maine on Sept. 14.