10/13/2007
Field Hockey Nipped by Mount Holyoke College, 3-2

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Oct. 13, 2007) - The Clark University field hockey team were edged by New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Mount Holyoke College, 3-2 this afternoon at the Mount Holyoke Turf Field. It was the Lyons second straight win in league play.

Clark jumped out to a 1-0 edge in the sixth minute, when sophomore forward Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) recorded her team leading 15th tally of the season.

Mount Holyoke responded just over three minutes later, as senior defender Meaghan Murphy (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) scored off a penalty corner set to knot things up at 1-1. The Lyons gained the lead on another corner opportunity in the waning seconds of the opening frame. Junior midfielder Anne Doton (Woodstock, Vt./Woodstock) was credited with her fourth goal of the year.

Following almost 18 minutes of scoreless play in the second stanza, sophomore forward Mary Kate Switchenko (Sturbridge, Mass./Dana Hall) collected a rebound and beat Cougars first year goalkeeper Katelyn McGrath (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) to put the hosts in front 3-1. Switchenko’s eighth marker of the fall proved to be the match winner. It came after multiple saves by McGrath in a flurry in front of the cage.

Clark sliced the deficit to 3-2 in the 61st minute, when sophomore forward Chelsea Proulx (Franklin, N.H./Bishop Brady) scored off a feed from Blake. The Cougars managed five penalty corners and six shots in the final three minutes of play, but Mount Holyoke junior netminder Allie Walsh (Ann Arbor, Mich./Green Hills) came up with a pair of saves to preserve the win.

Walsh turned away five shots in the contest en route to her sixth win of the year. Sophomore Kathryn Dawsey (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) got the start between the pipes for the guests. She made a two saves in the first half before giving way to McGrath, who collected seven saves after the break.

Mount Holyoke (6-6, 3-2 NEWMAC) will hit the road for a NEWMAC clash at Springfield College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Clark (5-8, 0-5 NEWMAC) will also be in action again on Tuesday, when it hosts NEWMAC foe Babson College at 7:00 p.m.

(Courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Sports Info.)