10/20/2009
Field Hockey: Cougars Stopped By Mount Holyoke, 3-2

Release Courtesy of Mount Holyoke Sports Information

South Hadley, Mass. - Sophomore forward Shara Robertson pushed the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team to an exciting 3-2 triumph over New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Clark University this evening at the Mount Holyoke Turf Field. It was the Lyons fourth consecutive win and their fifth in their last six outings.

Robertson figured in on all three Mount Holyoke goals, scoring two and assisting on the other. She found the cage for the match winner in the 61st minute. It was her team leading fourth winner of the year and sixth of her career.

The Lyons exploded for two goals over a span of 43 seconds in the early stages of the first half to gain the early lead. Senior forward Mary Kate Switchenko tallied the first at the 4:41 mark, when she redirected a Robertson shot past senior goalkeeper Kathryn Dawsey (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.). Less than one minute later, Robertson dribbled around the Clark defense and placed a shot past Dawsey to extend the cushion to 2-0.

Despite the early deficit, the Cougars clawed their way back into the contest behind outstanding play by freshman Mel Melkonian (Worcester, Mass.). The forward got her team on the board in the 22nd minute, when she streaked past the Mount Holyoke defense and beat sophomore goalkeeper Katie Gibson Ten minutes later, she broke in alone with a chance to knot things up, but her attempt was turned away by a sprawling Gibson.

Refusing to give in, Melkonian responded with the tying goal just over five minutes into the second stanza. This time, she collected a crossing pass from senior forward Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine) and slipped a shot past Gibson.

With the match in the balance, Robertson scored the winner with 9:32 remaining in regulation. Following a shot by Switchenko, first year defender Stephanie Pascual collected the rebound and slid a short pass to Robertson, who deposited a shot into the vacated cage.

The Lyons finished with significant advantages in both shots (16-6) and penalty corner opportunities (8-1). Gibson posted two saves, and Dawsey had eight.

Mount Holyoke (9-5, 4-3 NEWMAC) will return to the field on Thursday, when it visits Wesleyan University for a non-conference tilt beginning at 7:00 p.m. Clark (7-5, 4-2 NEWMAC) is slated to host NEWMAC foe Wellesley College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.