WORCESTER --
Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, MA) netted a goal and added an assist and goalkeeper
Ella Moreau (Huntington, MA) and the WPI defense registered a shutout as the Engineers blanked visiting University of New England 2-0 in a non-conference field hockey matchup played on a warm Saturday afternoon on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
With the result, both teams see their records move to 2-3 on the young season.
The Crimson and Gray got on the board quickly as
Arie Lang (West Hartford, CT) started a set that included four different Engineers contributing to the game-opening goal. Lang crossed a ball through the circle that was deflected back by
Abbey Powers (Halifax, MA) to Meinhold who connected with
Abigail Rauch (Jackson, NJ) on the far side for the one-touch goal.
WPI's defensive presence stymied the Nor'Easters offense, keeping the visitors from recording a shot in the first quarter of action. A UNE penalty corner presented the first shot of the afternoon for the visitors as
Laney LeBlanc (Skowhegan, ME) lasered a ball that slipped underneath Moreau's foot but was stopped by graduate student
Emily Sollecito (Bedford, MA) accounting for the defensive save. The Nor'Easters remained persistent and collected two more looks stemming from penalty corners but were saved by Moreau to give the hosts the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
First-year
Ella Reeners (Windham, NH) rallied the offense in the second half as she corralled a ball from
Eve Martineau (Greene, ME) and threaded a ball through multiple UNE defenders in the circle to find Meinhold who knocked the ball into the back corner past the keeper for the insurance marker.
The Boynton Hillers' defense held the visitors to just one shot attempt in the second half to coast to the 2-0 victory. Moreau made a pair of stops in net before
Myles Lakin (Reading, MA) joined the defensive efforts logging 9:22 in between the pipes to close out the shutout. UNE goalkeeper
Dawn DeWeese-Moss (Pittsfield, ME) notched a pair of saves for the Nor'Easters.
For the day, WPI held a 13-4 edge in shots and a 9-5 advantage in penalty corners.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday night at 7pm. WPI travels down Park Ave. and across Chandler Street to face city foe Worcester State, while UNE returns home to battle Husson.
