BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior midfielder
Athena Comeau (Rutland, Mass.) tallied two goals and an assist and senior forward
Mackenzie Labrie (Canaan, N.H.) added a pair of goals to lead the visiting Plymouth State University field hockey team to a season-opening 5-0 shutout over Bridgewater State University at Mazzaferro Field on Saturday afternoon.
The game marked the 2023 opener for both teams and was the first career with for new PSU head coach
Molly Saunders '13.
The Panthers fired off three goals in a span of less than two minutes in the first quarter to jump out to the early 2-0 lead. Senior
Taylor Healey (Campton, N.H.), named this week to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) watchlist, got PSU on the board as she scored off the rebound of a Comeau shot in the fourth minute. Fifty-six seconds later, Comeau converted a feed from graduate student
Alessia Salzillo (Saugus, Mass.) to make it a 2-0 game. Comeau capped off the three-goal outburst exactly a minute later as she stickhandled past two defenders and beat the BSU keeper with a shot just inside the right post.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers put the game out of reach with a pair of goals just 65 seconds apart in the fourth quarter. Labrie redirected an elevated crossing pass from Comeau into the left side of the cage with 11:15 remaining in the contest. Labrie then scored off the rebound of her own shot to make it a 5-0 game.
Senior goalkeeper
Kayla Antonucci (Windham, N.H.) turned aside five shots to record her fourth career shutout.
Plymouth State starts its season 1-0, while Bridgewater State slips to 0-1.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Bridgewater State 0
- Plymouth State (1-0)
- Bridgewater State (0-1)
How it Happened:
- Healey scored her first of the season just 3:15 into the contest off a Comeau rebound. Healey set a program record for points in a season last fall.
- Comeau added one of her own just under a minute later to extend the Panthers' lead.
- Exactly one minute later Comeau struck again for her second of the afternoon.
- The Panthers led 3-0 at halftime and held an 11-7 shot advantage.
- After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers came out flying in the fourth.
- Labrie buried her first of the game just 3:45 into the quarter.
- Labrie added her second 1:05 later when she cashed in on her own rebound.
- PSU kept the pressure on for the remainder of the contest but couldn't buy another one.
- The game ended in a 5-0 score, solidifying Saunders' first career win.
By the Numbers:
- PSU held a 17-9 shot advantage as well as a 13-7 edge in penalty corner attempts.
- Comeau posted her fifth multi-goal game, while her five points were a career high.
- Labrie's two goals were the first of her career.
- Plymouth State has controlled the all-time series with a 29-9-1 advantage, including a 14-7 mark on the road.
- Antonucci's shutout was the fourth of her career.
Up Next:
- The Panthers host Gordon College on Wednesday (Sept. 6) at 4:00 p.m. The contest will also serve as the team's annual Childhood Cancer Awareness game.
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