PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Emily Santom (Litchfield, N.H.) scored her 100th career goal and classmate
Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) notched a career-high seven assists as Plymouth State University roared past the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 18-7, in the Little East Conference (LEC) opener for both teams at Panther Field on Saturday afternoon.
UMass Dartmouth opened the scoring and led 2-1 after 4:14 of action, but PSU tied the game 22 seconds later to spark an 8-0 run. Santom scored all three of her markers during the surge, notching her 100th career goal just 1:44 into the second.
The Panthers pushed the margin to 13-3 late in the second period and maintained a sizeable lead the rest of the way.
Prior to the game Plymouth State honored former head coach
Sandy Bridgeman in an on-field ceremony. Bridgeman, who retired from coaching following the 2022 season, led the Panthers for six seasons, capturing three LEC titles while guiding the team to the championship game of the LEC Tournament every year.
Plymouth State jumps to 5-3 (1-0 LEC), while the Corsairs move to 5-3 (0-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 18, UMass Dartmouth 7
- Plymouth State (5-3, 1-0 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (5-3, 0-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- UMass Dartmouth got on the board first after 3:12 of action, but sophomore Maddie Hunt (Acton, Mass.) pulled the Panthers even 13 seconds later.
- The Corsairs went back in front at the 10:46 mark, but sophomore Jenna Stowell (Londonderry, N.H.) answered right back to spark an 8-0 surge.
- Hunt gave PSU the lead as the Panthers' offense clicked into gear with five goals in a five-minute span.
- Santom buried her 100th career goal to make it 8-2 early in the second quarter, then added her third of the day just over two minutes later.
- The Corsairs responded with a free position goal, but PSU closed out the half with four straight scores to push the lead to 13-3 at the half.
- After surrendering an early goal in the third, Plymouth State ran off three straight scores, including the first career goal for freshman Camryn Loomis (Seekonk, Mass.) to make it 16-4.
- UMass Dartmouth outscored the Panthers by a 3-2 margin in the final quarter to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Ten different players scored for the Panthers, led by Hunt's four goals. Santom added three, while Loomis, sophomore Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) and junior Megan Gaspa (Laconia, N.H.) added two apiece.
- Croke poured in a career-high seven assists to finish with eight points on the day.
- Senior Julia Mahoney (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with a goal and three assists, while Donovan also contributed a pair of helpers.
- PSU recorded assists on 15-of-18 goals.
- Hunt posted game-highs of six ground balls and four caused turnovers, while Gaspa led the way with seven draw controls.
- PSU held a 38-15 edge in shots and forced 21 Corsairs' turnovers.
- The Panthers limited UMass Dartmouth to just 11-of-25 on clear attempts and won 20-of-28 draws.
- Plymouth State has dominated the all-time series going 25-1 against the Corsairs and winning the last 16 matchups.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to Bridgewater State on Tuesday (Apr. 4) for a non-conference tilt with the Bears. Opening draw is set for 7:00 p.m.
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