Seahawks earn CCC win on road; improve to 6-1 overall

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Marissa Gagnon led Salve Regina with a goal and an assist as the visiting Seahawks blanked Western New England 3-0 in Commonwealth Coast Conference field hockey action at Golden Bear Stadium on Wednesday evening. The Golden Bears fall below the .500-mark for the first time this season at 2-3 overall (0-1 CCC), while the Seahawks improve to 6-1 and 1-1 in the conference.

Freshman keeper Renee Rossignol helped WNE stay close by making a career-high 14 saves, including eight in the second half when the Golden Bears were outshot 13-2 but held SRU to just a goal for the final 35 minutes. Salve Regina's Murphy McCann faced only five shots and made one save.

Salve Regina went into the halftime break with a 2-0 lead after Gagnon scored her sixth goal, unassisted, in the fifth minute on a spin move out front of the cage. Then in the 19th, Alexandria Rizzo converted on a penalty stroke into the lower-left corner that eluded Rossignol's outstretched arms. It was Rizzo's first tally of the season.

Alexisse Clinger closed the scoring for the Seahawks in the 67th minute, taking a nice give-and-go pass from Gagnon. Clinger and Gagnon share the team lead with six goals apiece.

Western New England's best scoring opportunity came off the stick of freshman Jen Catuccio, whose point-blank shot was stopped by McCann, in the 12th minute.

The Golden Bears showed vast improvement against a SRU squad that scored eight goals the last time the teams met in Springfield last year.

Salve Regina also had advantages in shots (22-5), shots on goal (17-1) and penalty corners (8-5).